A World Apart
by Griffinkhan
Summary: An accident sends Isaac hurtling into an unfamiliar land, where looks are deceiving and hope lost. Now, he must embark on a desperate journey to save two worlds- one from the mistakes of the past, and the other from the terror of the future. Ch. 18 up!
1. It was the Best of Times, it was the Wor...

Look! It's my first pure GS story! Yes, I know I still have to finish FotS, but this kept popping into my head and I couldn't get it out. So here it is, for your enjoyment. This takes place after the end of the game, and Isaac and company have found land.

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. It's nice to only have to disclaim one thing for a change…

----------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 1- It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times

For Isaac, life was good. True, he _was_ on a quest to save the world, and if he failed the entire planet would be controlled by a pair of evil Mars adepts, but overall, things were not too bad. He had his two best friends, Garet and Ivan, and most of all, he had Mia. Mia, the beautiful Mercury Adept from Imil. Isaac fell in love with the healer the first moment he laid eyes on her, when he had barged into her grandmother's house without knocking. He still had a mark on his head where she had hit him with her staff. Ever since that first meeting, however, he had just been waiting for the right time to tell her his feelings. He finally summoned up the courage just last week, after being prompted by a near death experience with some nasty monsters. Now he and Mia were so inseparable, Garet had dubbed them the 'Siamese Twins'.

The morning began like any other morning. As the four friends journeyed along a road they had discovered, hoping that it would lead to a village soon, all the usual events were taking place. Garet and Ivan were fighting, Isaac and Mia were spending some quality time together, and generally, things were going well. Until, that is, an accident occurred.

Garet, who had been bickering with Ivan for most of the morning, decided to do something about the very (in his opinion) annoying Jupiter Adept. With a slightly evil grin, he turned to Isaac and said,

"I'm going to scout ahead, OK?"

Isaac, who was too busy gazing at Mia to comprehend what the Mars Adept was saying, merely nodded his head. Garet quickly bounded up the road and around a bend, disappearing from view.

"Hey, where's Garet going?" asked Ivan suspiciously.

"Scouting..." Isaac muttered vaguely, before Mia pulled him into a kiss.

"You two are hopeless." Ivan sighed, a nagging feeling that something was wrong in the back of his mind. The Jupiter Adept had been edgy all morning- there was something in the atmosphere that just didn't seem quite right. Perhaps it was this uneasiness that had driven him to tease Garet mercilessly this morning, perhaps not. Whatever the cause, Ivan knew Garet was looking for a way to get back at him. The Mars Adept must have had something up his sleeve when he ran off. He decided to be extra alert in case the Mars Adept tried to pull a prank on him.

The three Adepts rounded the corner that Garet had just vanished around, with Ivan in the lead and Isaac and Mia, with arms wrapped around each other, slightly behind. There was no sign of the Mars Adept anywhere.

"Garet?" Ivan said, warily. Probably he would jump out of a nearby bush or something. It was a very Garet-like thing to do. But, as they walked farther and farther down the road, there was still no sight or sound of their friend.

__

Maybe he really was_ scouting ahead._ Ivan thought. _Nah, Garet never volunteers for anything without a reason. He must be around here somewhere..._

As if on cue, a branch came springing out from the side of the path and whipped towards Ivan. The branch previously had been held back by Garet, who was hiding behind the tree waiting for the Jupiter Adept to appear. Fortunately for Ivan, Garet had misjudged the height and the limb whistled harmlessly over the boy's head. Isaac, however, was not so fortunate. The branch smacked the lovestruck Venus Adept squarely across the forehead, poleaxing him.

"Isaac!" Mia cried, as his eyes rolled up into his head and he crumpled to the forest floor. Garet emerged from behind the tree, shamefaced. 

"Oops." he said.

"'Oops'?" said Ivan, angrily. "That's all you can say?"

"It was an accident! I didn't mean to hit Isaac!"

"So it _wouldn't_ have been an accident if you had hit _me_, right?"

"Stop it!" said Mia, a no-nonsense tone in her voice. "I'm trying to concentrate!" Both boys immediately stopped talking while Mia checked Isaac's vital signs.

"He's all right, just unconscious." she pronounced after a minute.

"So what do we do now?" Garet asked, hesitantly.

"Well, there's nothing we can do, really, except wait for him to awaken." she said, with a worried look on her face.

"Nice going, Garet." grumbled Ivan. "There goes any chance of finding a town today."

"I'm sorry, all right! It was an _accident_!" 

"SHUT UP!" Mia shouted, putting an end to further conversation.

--------------------------------

Isaac felt the vague sensation of something hitting his head, hard, before the darkness consumed him. He seemed to be falling, though all he was aware of was blackness so it was impossible to be sure. The world was only like this for a second, however, before his eyes snapped open and he found himself lying in a bramble bush in the middle of a very unfamiliar landscape. 

Isaac got to his feet gingerly. His forehead throbbed, although when he touched it there was no bruise or cut or any other obvious sign of injury. After picking brambles from various articles of his clothing, he was able to look around. A horrifying sight met his eyes. As far as the eye could see lay nothing but burnt, blackened fields, with dead grass and withered trees popping up here and there. Turning to his left, he saw a mountain with a dark and gloomy castle perched upon it. Something about the mountain seemed familiar to Isaac, but he couldn't seem to place his finger on it...

Then, he saw that there was another human-made object on the landscape. Several human-made objects, to be precise. A small huddle of wooden dwellings, which seemed to have been built out of the fire-blackened remains of previous houses, stood sticking up like a sore thumb from the otherwise desolate landscape. Deciding that the houses were the closest thing to civilization in the area, he headed towards them, hoping to find someone who could tell him what had happened. 

As he approached the hovels, he could see wooden pens holding a small number of bedraggled sheep. He could also see a garden, which contained the only green plants visible for miles around. Even these plants looked half dead, drooping as if they had not seen rainfall in weeks. However, these signs encouraged Isaac, because livestock and gardens must mean people still lived in the makeshift village.

Isaac continued walking towards the houses, still not able to see any human inhabitants. Then, he noticed a figure bent over by one of the sheep pens, presumably feeding the animals. When it straightened up, he could see it had a head of spiky red hair.

"Garet?" Isaac said incredulously, hardly daring to believe. "Is that you?"

The man turned, and it was indeed Garet standing there. But yet, it was not the Garet Isaac remembered. He seemed more weather-beaten, almost older than before. All the laughter was gone from his face. His eyes were dark and burning, and his clothes were the ragged garments of a shepherd.

The man-who-was-Garet stared at Isaac for a moment before taking two enormous strides forward.

"Garet?" Isaac asked. "What's goin-"

Before the Venus Adept could finish his sentence, he felt his feet leave the ground as Garet grabbed him around the neck with both hands and lifted him into the air. 

"You shouldn't have come back." he snarled, while slowly cutting off Isaac's airflow. 

"Garet?!" Isaac said, gasping for air. "Garet, what are you doing? Put me down!"

"Come to laugh at our misery, have you? That wasn't smart." The Mars Adept tightened his grip further.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Isaac choked out. "Garet it's me, Isaac, your friend!"

"You're not my friend anymore. Not after what you did to Mia." Isaac's vision was becoming dim as his oxygen was cut off.

"I never did anything to Mia! Stop it, Garet!"

"Liar." came the cold reply. Then Garet's face, the farm, the desolate landscape all became a fuzzy haze. Isaac was dimly aware of a voice saying , "Garet! What are you doing?" before the darkness took him for the second time that day.

----------------------------------------------------------------

So, what'cha think? Good, bad, evil? Please review, and tell me your opinion!


	2. My Enemy, My Ally

CHAPTER 2  
  
_My Enemy, My Ally  
  
_--------------------

.

.

.

.

  
  
Isaac stirred, his consciousness beginning to return. His throat was painfully sore, and his forehead still throbbed. He opened his eyes to see Garet's worried face peering down at him.  
  
"AAGH!" Isaac yelped, automatically jumping to his feet and moving backwards a few paces.  
  
"Sheesh, Isaac, I'm not that frightening, am I?" Garet asked, puzzled.  
  
"You just tried to kill me!"   
  
"I'm sorry about the branch, Isaac, but I _wasn't _trying to kill you."  
  
"Branch?" asked Isaac. "What branch? You were choking me and-"  
  
He suddenly stopped and looked around. The strange landscape and wooden hovels had vanished- he was back once more in the woods.  
  
"It was just a dream!" he said, relieved.  
  
Ivan, who had been listening to the conversation with interest from across a small fire, piped up, "Garet! I can't believe you! You hit him so hard he had nightmares about you attacking him!"  
  
"Ivan, be quiet," Garet grumbled.  
  
"Would it be possible for you two to last two minutes without quarreling?" said Mia, approaching with a bundle of sticks. "I go to collect firewood for a moment and when I come back, you're at it again!" Suddenly, she noticed that Isaac was awake. "Isaac! You're all right!"  
  
She dropped the sticks on the ground and leapt into his arms. Garet sighed, and sat down by the fire next to Ivan.   
  
"Why don't you two get a room?" he said rather loudly as Isaac pulled Mia into a deep kiss. Both Adepts broke apart, blushing furiously.  
  
"You forget, Garet, there isn't an inn nearby." Ivan pointed out. "And because of you, it's now too late to continue on to look for one."  
  
"Ivan..." Mia said threateningly. "DON'T start that again. We're allies, not enemies, remember?"  
  
Her statement made Isaac remember his dream. Garet certainly hadn't been his ally there. But then, it was just a nightmare. _Or was it?_ Isaac wondered. It had felt so real... He rubbed his sore neck thoughtfully. Then he stopped, suddenly realizing what he was doing. If it had been a dream, why did his neck hurt?  
  
"What happened to me?" he asked. "And how long have I been unconscious?"  
  
"Wise guy here," Mia said, indicating Garet, "decided it would be funny to play the old pulled back branch trick on Ivan. But it misfired and hit you instead. You've been knocked out for several hours."  
  
"Several hours?" Isaac repeated, incredulous. His dream had only lasted a few minutes- but then if it was just a dream, that would make sense, wouldn't it?  
  
"I think it would be best to camp here for the night." Mia continued. "If that branch was powerful enough to knock you out for so long, it might have had other effects that aren't immediately apparent."  
  
"Yeah, Garet, you could have given him a concussion!" said Ivan.  
  
"I told him I was sorry!" said Garet defensively. "What more do you want?"  
  
"Ivan, quit picking on Garet," Isaac said wearily, sinking down beside the fire. "I think he's had enough of that for one day."  
  
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Ivan and Garet even managed to stop quarreling. As he drifted off to sleep, however, Isaac couldn't help but wonder about his dream...  
  


------

  
  
Isaac awoke, not on the forest floor, but in an unfamiliar bed. He sat bolt upright in an instant, staring wildly around. He was inside a small, dark hut, illuminated by a single candle and a window. Outside, the sun was sinking below the blackened horizon. Sitting at a scrubbed wooden table upon which the candle was resting were two very familiar figures- the strange Garet from his dream before, and Mia.  
  
"You're awake," said Mia, without any expression in her voice. Her eyes were dark and haunted, much like the other Garet's were. She, too, wore tattered, plain working clothes. Her appearance was bedraggled, and she had wrinkles on her face that should not have been there.  
  
"You should've let me kill him, Mia," said Garet, staring at Isaac with real malice.  
  
"He wouldn't have come here alone without a reason," she said to him. "At least let him speak his piece."  
  
"Look, I have no idea what's going on here." Isaac said. He was beginning to feel panicky. These two people who looked like his friends obviously were not friendly towards him in return. "One minute, I'm walking through the woods looking for Jenna, Sheba and Kraden, and the next I'm here in this barren wasteland and my best friend tries to kill me!"   
  
"I said before, I'm not your friend." Garet said, glowering.  
  
"Half an hour ago, you were."  
  
"See?" Garet said, turning back to Mia. "He's spouting nonsense. You should've let me kill him when I had the chance."  
  
"Garet, please." said Mia, who was staring at Isaac intently, wearing a strange, unreadable expression. "I know he's done some...unforgivable things, but..."  
  
"Damn right!" said Garet, angrily.  
  
"Please, would you just tell me what's going on?" Isaac asked. "What happened to this place? Why is it so barren?"  
  
"I'll tell you what happened to this place." Garet said, standing up so violently that he knocked his chair over. He walked over to Isaac and glared at him. The Venus Adept recoiled from the look of pure hatred in his eyes. "_You_ happened."  
  
Isaac stared at him in shock. "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"You unleashed the power of Alchemy." said Garet. "You used it for yourself. And look what it's brought- nothing but destruction."  
  
"But the lighthouses aren't even lit!" Isaac cried.  
  
"Yes, they are."  
  
"Listen, Garet," said Isaac, beginning to understand. "I'm not the Isaac you think I am. I never unleashed Alchemy, and I never will. I'm trying to _stop_ anyone from obtaining it. So were you, until a few minutes ago. I don't know how I got here, but this is _not_ where I'm supposed to be."  
  
"A likely story. A few minutes ago, you were unconscious in that bed."  
  
"Not for me. Listen... Earlier today, I was in the woods, with you and Mia. We were looking for a village to rest in for the night. Then I had an... um, accident, and got knocked out. The next thing I knew, I was here, with you attacking me for some reason. When you knocked me out again, I woke up back in the woods and found several hours had passed. I thought this place was just a dream, but when I fell asleep two minutes ago, I ended up back here again. I don't know what's going on but believe me, please... I'm not your enemy."  
  
"And tell me- why are we supposed to believe you? Your story doesn't sound all that, shall we say, plausible?"  
  
"Get Ivan!" said Isaac, quickly. "If you two are here, then he can' t be too far away. He can read my mind and prove that I'm telling the truth!"  
  
Garet and Mia stared at him for a moment. Then Mia said, in a slow and emotionless voice,  
  
"Isaac, Ivan's dead."  
  



	3. Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

CHAPTER 3  
  
_Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire  
  
_--------------------

.

.

.

.

"What?" Isaac gasped. "How? When?"  
  
The person who looked like Mia stared intently at Isaac's face. "You should know," she said softly. "You were there. Unless, of course, you're telling the truth about not being the same Isaac we knew..."  
  
"I am telling the truth, Mia," he replied.  
  
She stared at him for a second. Then, slowly, she answered. "Ivan was killed in the battle at Venus Lighthouse. We all were sad... but you most of all. And after that, something in you changed."  
  
She looked away, as if unable to bear the sight of his face anymore. "You weren't the same person anymore. You told us that you wanted to light the lighthouses, that the power of Alchemy could bring him back to life. We didn't want to go along, but what could we do? You were our friend, _Ivan_ was our friend. We decided to help you. And it was the worst mistake we've ever made." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "When you got the power of Alchemy, it corrupted you. It turned you against us, your friends. The power crept inside your soul and ate you away from the inside out. And we had to watch it happen. Day by day, Isaac was disappearing, leaving us with something else... something... heartless..."  
  
She stood up, the hem of her dress rustling against the table leg as she walked over towards the Venus Adept. She stopped in front of him, gazing at him with an odd expression.  
  
"Those eyes..." she murmured, half to Isaac, and half to herself. "They're the same...as they were, nine years ago..."  
  
"What did he do to you, Mia?" Isaac whispered. "My other self...what did he do?"  
  
A voice at the door saying, "Mama?" made Mia turn. Over her shoulder, Isaac could see a small figure standing in the doorway.  
  
"There's your answer..." she said sadly.  
  
A little boy who appeared to be about eight years of age stood, one hand resting against the doorframe. He had bright blue eyes and tousled blonde hair. He looked in, seemingly puzzled as to why the attention of the occupants of the hut was suddenly focused on him  
  
Isaac froze, staring at the boy. Suddenly, it all made sense- the hatred he had received from Garet, the strange looks from Mia, everything. Isaac felt a hot, sick swoop of anger at the person who would do such a thing course through him, followed by icy cold as he realized that that person was _himself_.  
  
"Mama?" the child asked. "Has the funny man woken up?"  
  
"Dylan, that's not a very nice thing to call him." Mia scolded, but Isaac could see her eyes had lost some of their distant and troubled look. "Especially since you can see that he's right here."  
  
"All right then," the little boy replied. "Have you woken up yet, Mr. Funny Man, sir?"  
  
Isaac tried hard to keep a straight face as he answered, "Yes I have, thank you, Dylan."  
  
The boy turned back to his mother. "Is that better?"  
  
"Yes, Dylan, I suppose it is," she said, smiling for the first time since Isaac had first seen her.  
  
"Dylan, why don't you run along and play now?" said Garet. "The 'funny man' as you call him, and your mother and I have some things to talk about."  
  
"All right, Daddy." Dylan replied. He turned and left the doorway.  
  
"'Daddy'?" Isaac asked, after the child had disappeared outside. "So you and Mia are married?"  
  
Garet nodded. "Six years ago."  
  
"We have two other little ones, now, besides Dylan," Mia added. "Gregory and Rose...Gregory's five, and Rose is three."  
  
"Well, congratulations." Isaac said, not exactly sure how to respond to this statement. It was a rather awkward moment for him, as it would be for anyone who has just been informed that they apparently have an eight-year-old son when they are only seventeen, not to mention that two of their best friends have gotten married! 

Silence fell over the little hut. Isaac glanced from Garet to Mia nervously, wondering what he should do next. Garet, at least, had lost his murderous look, but both Adepts were still staring at him suspiciously. He may have convinced him he wasn't their Isaac, but he was still a stranger, and not to be trusted.

Garet had just opened his mouth to ask something else when he was interrupted by a deep rumbling noise outside, followed by the shrill yell of a child.  
  
"Firestorm!"  
  
Another little boy, with bright red hair, came barreling inside the house at top speed. Dylan came not far behind.  
  
"Firestorm, Daddy!" shouted the newcomer, who Isaac assumed must be Gregory. "To the southwest!"  
  
Garet's face paled. Isaac had no idea what a firestorm was, but he knew it must be bad because he had never seen his friend look so afraid, in either world.  
  
"Where's Rose?" he asked urgently.  
  
"I haven't seen her!" said Dylan.  
  
"I think she was playing in the south pasture," piped up Gregory.  
  
"Mia, take the children to the storm cellar," Garet ordered, a commanding tone creeping into his voice. Isaac marveled at the change. The fear had disappeared as fast as it had come. In its place was a confident leader, to all apparent purposes unafraid of what was going to happen. Isaac mentally noted never to underestimate Garet again.  
  
"Where are you going?" cried Mia as her husband strode towards the door.  
  
"To find Rose," he replied. "Isaac..." he said, turning back to the Venus Adept.  
  
"I'll help you," he offered quickly.  
  
Garet considered him for a second, then nodded. "Rose is little, looks just like Mia. She doesn't talk, so don't expect her to answer your calls."  
  
Isaac nodded, and followed Garet out of the house. Behind him, Mia rolled up a rug on the floor and pulled open a trapdoor beneath, which was made of stone rather than wood. She and the two children disappeared inside, closing the trapdoor after them.  
  
"You go that way," Garet said, once they were outside. "I'll go this way. If you find her, call out. But if the storm gets too close, head back for the house. Got that?"  
  
Isaac nodded again. "Got it."  
  
Garet hurried off in the direction he had indicated, and Isaac turned and began his own search. He ran through the burnt and dead grass, shouting out, "Rose! Rose!" every few seconds. In the distance, he could hear Garet doing the same. But there was no sign of a blue haired girl amid the desolation- the only colors were brown, gray, and black.   
  
The rumbling sounded again, and Isaac turned to see what was causing it. What he saw made his heart stop.  
  
It was a firestorm. There was no other way to describe it. Dark clouds were gathering in the southwest, ominous and blacker than any clouds Isaac had seen before. Raining down on the dead fields was not water, which might have helped the parched land, but sheets of fire. The storm had already ignited some of the decaying vegetation, and a firewall was forming, heading straight for the farm.  
  
Isaac began to call out Rose's name even more frantically. No one had a chance of surviving something like that if they were caught in the open, not even a full grown Mercury adept with the limitless Psynergy provided by the Mercury beacon. A little girl definitely would not last long if she was not found soon.   
  
He raced through the barren fields, trying to ignore the inferno at his back, growing closer with every second. The flames were growing faster and higher, fed by a howling wind brought with the storm. The bank of clouds moved closer to the farm, leaving a trail of scorched earth in its wake. And there was still no sign of Rose.   
  
Suddenly, Isaac spotted something out of place on the wide, flat plains. It was a boulder, fairly large, about half the size of a cottage. Crouched down by the base was a shadowy object, indistinguishable in shape. Isaac sped up, heading for the boulder at a dead run. He caught a hint of blue- it was Rose! She lay curled up in a ball near the base of the rock, looking terrified.   
  
"Rose!" he shouted. The little girl looked up, but didn't stand. She recoiled away from him, pressing closer to the boulder.   
  
_She doesn't know me, _he thought_. She's afraid.  
  
_ "Rose!" he said again, reaching the boulder and kneeling down by the girl. "Your father sent me to find you. Are you all right?"  
  
The girl nodded, her eyes wide in fright.  
  
"Will you come back with me to the house?"  
  
The girl shook her head.  
  
"Please, Rose, the storm's heading this way!"  
  
The girl still did not move. Frustrated, Isaac turned back to the house. The storm was close, too close. Isaac saw in dismay that the flames now had cut off his escape to the dwelling, and were higher than ever. More alarming was the realization that that they were now moving towards him. The wind had shifted, and was pushing the firewall in his direction. He could feel the roar of the storm feeding the flame, hear the crackle as the grass burned. There was no way of reaching the storm cellar now. Isaac only hoped that Garet had made it there safely.  
  
The flames were no more than fifty yards away now and closing fast. He only had a few seconds in which to act. Scooping up Rose, he raced to the leeward side of the boulder and cast Earthquake, creating a depression near the base of the rock surrounded by a wall of earth. Tossing Rose in before him, he leapt into the hole and shielded the little girl with his body, just as the flames reached the area.  
  
The heat was suffocating. Smoke got into his eyes, making them water, and he kept his head low to try to avoid breathing the stuff in. He could feel the flames around him, searching for an opening in his makeshift shelter, like a living animal searching for prey. Isaac remained firm, determined not to let the flames take his life or most especially, the life of this little girl. But with each passing second, the task became more difficult. The flames roared over his head, threatening to leap over the earthen barrier and incinerate him. His vision darkened as the toxic smoke entered his lungs. The world seemed to be spinning and he pressed himself closer to the ground in a desperate attempt to escape the fumes. _I must not pass out!_ he thought franticly. If he did, he would probably die. _I must not...  
  
_ Then the firewall pressed in, and Isaac knew no more.


	4. Mia, We Have a Problem

Don't worry, Ivan lovers! Our favorite blonde midget is far from being out of _this_ story! Although, later on you might wish he were....

Ivan: o.O What's that supposed to mean?

Mwahaha... You'll find out... later...

Ivan: Somehow, that does _not_ reassure me...

* * *

CHAPTER 4  
  
_Mia, We Have a Problem  
  
_--------------------

.

.

.

.

"Are you going to sleep all day, Isaac?"

Isaac jerked awake, instinctively bringing up his hands to protect against the flames when he realized that there _were_ no flames. He was back in the forest, and Mia was looking at him, annoyed.

"I've been trying to wake you for half an hour now! Seriously, Isaac, sometimes you can be a heavier sleeper than Garet!"

Isaac looked around, still shaking from the memory of the fire. He could still almost smell the smoke, feel the warmth on his skin. Suddenly, he was thrown into a violent coughing fit.

"Isaac! Are you all right?" Mia said, alarmed. She moved to his side and cast Ply, but the coughing did not subside.

"What the heck?" she muttered, and cast Ply again. However, the little fairy generated by her spell had the same effect as before, which was absolutely nothing. Isaac continued to cough violently, his eyes watering up. Mia was beginning to become extremely worried.

"Ply's always cured coughs before..." Mia said, putting her hands on his shoulders and steadying him.

"It won't work..." he said, as soon as he could catch is breath again. "It can only be cured in the other world, I think."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

"Mia, we have a problem," he said, not having enough air to explain further. "Get Ivan and Garet over here, because I don't want to have to explain more than once." He dissolved into another coughing fit. Mia lingered by his side uncertainly, unwilling to leave him while her healing skills were so obviously needed.

"Go!" Isaac managed to gasp out. Mia hesitated, then complied with the order, glancing back worriedly as she entered the cover of the trees.

------

It did not take long to find Garet and Ivan. Their voices betrayed them long before they were in view.

"Garet, you idiot, you're supposed to _catch_ the rabbit, not cremate it!"

"Well, I thought it would be more effective this way. It saves the step of cooking it!"

"It does if you like your food extra, extra well done!"

Mia emerged from the trees into a small clearing. Garet and Ivan were standing around the charred remains of what, judging by the conversation, once had been a rabbit.

"Garet! What did you do to the poor fluffy bunny?" Mia cried. She ran over to the animal's side and examined it. As she suspected, it was stone dead, and completely inedible.

"That 'poor fluffy bunny' was _going_ to be our breakfast." said Ivan. "Until, that is, Garet had the bright idea to use Flare on it and give us a pre-cooked meal."

"I overjudged a little, OK?"

"That's it, I'm becoming a vegetarian," said Mia, looking down with a sickened expression at the small pile of ashes.

"That's what you say _every_ time we have to go hunting," Ivan pointed out. "And whenever we find an inn again, you suddenly change your mind."

Mia giggled in spite of her horror at the fate of the rabbit. "That's true," she said. "Anyway, hunting season is over for today. Isaac wants us all back at camp, he said he needed to tell us all something."

"Probably a lecture about how we need to go twice as far today to make up for our 'vacation' yesterday," Garet groaned.

"That does sound like Isaac," Ivan said with a grin.

"I don't know," said Mia. "He had a really bad cough when I finally got him to wake up, and my Ply couldn't do anything about it. I think he's coming down with something." She stared menacingly at Ivan, who had just opened his mouth to speak. "And it might not have anything to do with the branch incident yesterday, so don't even start, Ivan."

The Jupiter Adept shut his mouth again, looking slightly embarrassed. "Honestly, Mia, sometimes I wonder who's really the mind reader around here."

"Well, the only way to find out what Isaac wants is to go ask him." said Garet briskly.

"That's the first sensible suggestion out of your mouth all day!" said Ivan, with a sly smile.

"Ivan..." Garet growled threateningly.

Mia sighed, and positioned herself between the smug Jupiter Adept and the angry Mars Adept.

"One day," she said resignedly. "If you two could last just _one_ day without fighting, I'd eat my cape."

"I'd like to see that," said Ivan brightly. "What do you say, Garet?"

"Sounds good to me!" Garet replied, grinning wickedly. They both headed off back to the campsite at high speed, shouting over their shoulders, "One day it is, Mia!"

"Hey, wait! I wasn't being literal!" Mia cried, running to catch up with them, but they had already disappeared from view.

"Boys..." she muttered, before sighing again and plodding off towards the campsite, walking as slowly as possible so as to make Garet and Ivan wait a _long _time to find out what Isaac had to say.

------

"So let me get this straight." said Garet, a while later, as the four adepts sat in various positions around the campfire. They had just finished listening to Isaac recount his adventures in his past two visits to the other world. "When you were hit by the branch, you were transported to another world."

"Correct." said Isaac. His coughing fits had subsided somewhat, allowing him to relate his tale with the minimum of interruptions.

"And you met a copy of me, who then tried to kill you, thus waking you up back here."

"Correct again."

"And then, when you fell asleep last night, you were transported _back_to the other world, where you found out Ivan was dead, Mia and I were married, you apparently released Alchemy, and fire rains from the sky."

"Bingo."

"Isaac, have you ever considered seeing a psychiatrist?"

Ivan sniggered. Mia, however, stuck up for Isaac.

"How dare you call my Isaac crazy?" she cried, whacking Garet upside the head with her staff.

"Watch out, Mia, you'll send him to another universe!" Ivan said, before bursting into gales of laughter. Mia whacked him over the head as well. "Ow, Mia, what was that for?"

Isaac folded his arms and watched the proceedings. He suddenly erupted into another coughing fit, which sent Mia running to his side.

"You're obviously sick, though." she said. Feeling his forehead, she exclaimed, "Isaac! You're burning up!"

"Well, you would be too if you were just in the middle of a firestorm." Isaac replied, before the coughing got the better of him again.

"The fever's probably causing hallucinations..." she said. "I just wonder why my Ply didn't do anything about it."

"I am NOT having hallucinations!" Isaac said, rather too loudly. Ivan and Garet stifled more laughter.

"Of course you aren't," Mia said soothingly. "Now lie down. You need to get some rest."

"Mia, you don't believe me." he said, resisting her attempts to push him back down onto his sleeping roll. "I can't go back to sleep, I'll go back _there_ again!"

"Isaac, go to sleep. You'll feel better, I promise."

Isaac still refused to lie down. He didn't want to go back _there_ again, not after he had just escaped...

"Ivan..." Mia said, and the Jupiter Adept got the hint. He moved forward and whispered "Sleep!" sending waves of Psynergy washing over Isaac.

"Don't...Mia..." the Venus Adept managed to whisper before the drowsiness began to overcome him.

"Shh, Isaac." Mia said, lying him down and pulling the blankets up over him. "It's for your own good."

_No, it's not_. Isaac thought, but then his eyelids closed, and the Psynergy overtook him.

Mia began checking Isaac's vital signs to see if she could find anything obviously wrong with him. None of her checks revealed anything unusual, however. His blood pressure and breathing were normal, and aside from the fever and the bouts of coughing, Isaac seemed perfectly healthy.

"I am worried about him, though." said Mia, as much to herself as to Garet and Ivan. She cast Ply and then felt Isaac's forehead again. There was no change. The fever was still as high as before. "What if there _is_ something wrong with his mind?"

"I hope not," said Garet. "Think of what will happen when I have to tell his mother!" He turned, as if addressing an invisible someone. "'Hi, Aunt Dora, sorry to bother you, but I kinda whacked your son on the head and made him go insane!'"

"Hopefully, you won't have to do that, Garet," said Mia, frowning down at Isaac's motionless form. He looked so peaceful. It was hard to believe he might be going crazy...

"I could read his mind," Ivan suggested. "I might be able to figure out what's wrong, if anything. It's probably just the fever, like you said."

"Well..." Mia said, hesitantly. She didn't think Isaac would take too kindly to Ivan reading his mind while he was unconscious. "I suppose it's the best idea we've had so far. My Psynergy isn't seeming to help."

"Right." Ivan moved over to Isaac's side and closed his eyes. A moment later, rings of Psynergy encircled him, showing that he was using the powerful Jupiter technique to see other's thoughts, Mind Read. Unlike all the previous times Mia had watched Ivan read minds, however, the rings were bright gold instead of the usual bluish white. She wondered what the significance of this was. Suddenly, the color drained from Ivan's face, making him look as pale as a ghost. The Psynergetic rings vanished, and a moment later, the Jupiter Adept toppled to the ground and lay there, unmoving.

"Ivan!" Mia cried, moving to his side. She shook the boy's shoulder gently, calling, "Ivan! Ivan, wake up!"

But Ivan did not stir. He lay motionless, as silent and pallid as the dead.

------

Isaac awoke to Rose insistently shaking his shoulder. _Stupid Ivan and his Sleep psynergy_, he thought. _One of these days I'm going to have to find a way to block that..._

Rose shook his shoulder again, concern in her scarily Mia-like blue eyes. In fact, Rose seemed to be a miniature Mia in every way.

"All right, all right, I'm awake," Isaac groaned, and sat up. They were still in the depression created by his Earthquake attack. All around them the earth was scorched and blackened by the fire, but miraculously his makeshift firebreak had worked. He and Rose were alive, with only a few scorch marks and a layer of soot covering them to mark their ordeal. Isaac got to his feet shakily, then reached down and scooped up Rose. The little girl did not protest as Isaac lifted her into the air and began to carry her back towards the farmhouse. The building had miraculously managed survived the firestorm with no damage. Out front, he could see Garet and the rest of the family emerge, peering out over the fields, searching for a sign of Isaac and Rose.

"Over here!" Isaac shouted, waving his arm. "We're all right!"

The whole family immediately ran from the doorway and raced across the field towards Isaac and the little girl. Mia scooped Rose into her arms, beaming.

"Thank you." she said.

"No problem." Isaac replied. He was watching Garet, who stood, expressionless, beside Gregory.

"Come, let's go back to the house!" Mia said, obviously greatly relieved now that her daughter was safe. The group trooped back towards the building, Garet and Isaac hanging back at the rear.

"...Thanks." Garet said gruffly, after a minute.

"You're welcome." Isaac said. They waked in silence for a moment longer, then Isaac asked, "You still don't trust me, do you?"

"If our positions were reversed would you?"

"...No." Isaac answered truthfully. He realized that Garet was in an awful position. The friend that had betrayed him so long ago had suddenly appeared again, claiming to be from another world. Anyone would find it hard to take in.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind the pair and a very familiar voice said,

"Wow, Isaac, this place is even freakier than you described!"

Isaac and Garet spun around to see a short figure dressed in green and purple striding across the blackened bracken and grass. It was Ivan, looking a little pale but none the worse for wear after his trip across universes.

"Guh...Gah..." Garet stammered, staring at the Jupiter Adept, his eyes wide in shock.

Isaac smiled slightly, looking from Ivan's amazed face to Garet's bewildered one.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked them both.


	5. The Ghost of Journeys Past

CHAPTER 5  
  
_The Ghost of Journeys Past  
  
_--------------------

.

.

.

.

  
  
Garet stared in shock at the boy before him. It couldn't be, it just _couldn't _be! Ivan was dead, he'd seen him die himself. Heck, he'd even helped to _bury_ him! There was no way he could be alive....  
  
Unless, of course, what Isaac had been saying about being from another world was true.  
  
"I suppose I have to believe you now, Isaac." the boy who looked like Ivan was saying. "I mean, it's kind of hard _not_ to, now that I'm here."  
  
"How did you get here, anyway?" Isaac asked.   
  
"Well, since you were acting all strange, we were wondering if there might be something wrong," he gestured to his head, "up here. So I volunteered to read your mind. Then, I just sort of _appeared_. It was the weirdest feeling."  
  
The boy turned to Garet. "Hi, Garet. At least, I hope you're Garet."  
  
Garet nodded, but couldn't bring himself to speak.  
  
"You're frightening him, Ivan," said Isaac, with a laugh. "To him, you're a ghost."  
  
"Oh, I'm supposed to be dead, aren't I?" Ivan replied. "Well, I'm certainly glad I'm not. ...Hey, where's Mia?"  
  
Mia herself answered the question by shouting, "Isaac? Garet? What's taking you two so long?"  
  
Both of the people in question turned to look ahead, thus exposing Ivan to the blue-haired Adept's line of sight. There was a stunned silence as Mia stood transfixed, her eyes focused on the figure of her long-lost companion.  
  
"_Ivan?_" she said, her eyes wide. She moved towards him as if in a daze. "Ivan? How?"  
  
She reached the Jupiter Adept's side and cautiously stretched out a hand to touch his shoulder.  
  
"You're real..." Mia whispered, "You're not a ghost...But, how? We saw you die at the Venus Lighthouse. We _buried_ you! How did you survive?"  
  
"I didn't," Ivan said, staring back unblinkingly at the Mercury Adept. "Your Ivan _did _die. I'm not the same Ivan that you knew. I'm from his world." He jerked his thumb at Isaac.  
  
"Oh." said Mia. She looked a little crestfallen. "For a moment, I thought..."  
  
"That I was him?"  
  
She nodded. Silence fell over the little group. Rose, in Mia's arms, watched the proceedings with such a sagely expression in her eyes that Isaac felt certain she could understand every word they were saying. At this moment, Gregory and Dylan, who had been hanging back, approached their parents.  
  
"Mama, who is this?" Gregory asked.  
  
"...This is Ivan, a very old friend of ours." Mia said. "He's been gone a long time, and has come back to visit."  
  
"How long is he going to stay, Mama?" said Dylan.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Why don't...why don't you come back to the house with us," Garet said, after another moment of awkward silence. "I'm sure we have lots to talk about."  
  


------  
  


  
  
"Thank the Elements, he's still breathing." Mia sighed, bending over the limp form of Ivan. The color was beginning to return to the boy's face, and his chest moved up and down as he breathed. Mia checked his pulse and discovered that it, too, was normal.  
  
"What happened to him?" Garet asked, kneeling down beside Mia.  
  
"I honestly don't know," she replied. "Something must've happened when he Mind Read Isaac that knocked him unconscious. I'm not a Jupiter Adept, so I can't even begin to speculate what that might be."  
  
"So now we've got two unconscious friends on our hands," Garet groaned. "Great. So much for possibly heading out today. What do we do now?"  
  
"I suppose all we can do is watch and wait, until one or the other wakes up. And then..." Mia shook her head. "And then we see what develops."  
  


------  
  


Around the scrubbed wooden table sat four Adepts, two that belonged there and two that did not. Isaac looked across the table at Garet and Mia, who still looked rather shell-shocked after the sudden reappearance of their long-dead friend. The person in question currently was sitting beside Isaac, and strangely enough, among the group he seemed the calmest. It was almost like he was drawn into twisted alternate realities every day.  
  
"So that's the explanation..." Garet mused. Ivan and Isaac had just finished relating to the analogs of their friends a more detailed account of their reality and the events leading up to their appearance in this world. "I still don't understand why my hitting you with a branch would cause you to wake up here, though."  
  
"Neither do I, so we're even." said Isaac. "But maybe you can fill us in on a few details about _this_ world."  
  
"Well, you already know that Ivan died at the Venus Lighthouse, and then you released Alchemy," said Mia.  
  
"But why the ground is so barren?" asked Isaac. "And where on Angara _are_ we?"  
  
"Don't you recognize this place, Isaac?" Garet said, with a sad smile. "Probably not, since all the trees are gone. This is where we grew up. This is Vale, or more precisely, this _was_ Vale."  
  
"_What?_" Isaac asked, incredulously. This barren place was nothing like Vale. _Nothing_. ...And yet, the mountain had looked so familiar... "What happened?"  
  
"Alchemy," said Mia. "When the four Lighthouses were lit, Alchemy was unleashed on the world. And that caused many other things to happen. Tidal waves, unexpectedly on the coasts. Tolbi was wiped out in a great flood from the Karagol Sea. Tornadoes strike without warning, earthquakes tumble houses, and firestorms rain down and burn away the crops. _That's _what happened to Vale."  
  
"But where are all the villagers?" asked Ivan. "Garet's family, the Great Healer, Isaac's mom! Where have they all gone?"  
  
"My parents died five years ago in a great firestorm that wiped out most of the village," said Garet. "My sister and grandparents, too. My brother disappeared around that time. We've never seen him since then."  
  
"The others tried to get away and find somewhere else to live," added Mia. "Most didn't make it."   
  
Garet's expression was a mix of sorrow and anger as he continued. "Those that were caught trying to escape were forced to help build the Castle, and then were sent to the Altin gem mines as slaves."  
  
"You mean the big fortress on the mountain?" asked Isaac.  
  
"On Mt. Aleph, yes. That's your- the other Isaac's- stronghold."  
  
"We stayed on, even though Sheba and Jenna and Felix left," continued Mia. "We think they made it away, down south to Lalivero. They were going to try to start a resistance group. That was four years ago."  
  
"Since then we've been living here by ourselves, virtually ignored by everybody," said Garet. "I suppose we stayed because we hoped that we might be able to reason with Isaac, that somehow we could bring him back to the way he was before. But it never happened, and the years passed, and things just became worse and worse. And now, you're here."  
  
"But why, or how, we still don't know," said Isaac.  
  
"There has to be some way we can return to our own world," said Ivan. "The trouble is, _what_?"  
  
"...There is someone who might be able to help," said Garet, slowly. "But it would be rather difficult and dangerous to get to him."  
  
"Who?" asked Isaac.  
  
"Kraden," said Garet. "He knows almost everything there is to know about Alchemy, and he might be able to figure out what it was that brought you here."  
  
"What's the catch?" Ivan questioned, looking suspicious.  
  
"The catch is that Kraden's currently being held prisoner in the castle up there. And it's not going to be a picnic getting inside with all the guards."  
  
"So if we want to get home, we'll have to go up and break him out," Isaac groaned. "Great."  
  
"Are their any other alternatives?" asked Ivan.  
  
"Well, you could always try hitting yourself over the head with another branch and see if it sends you back."  
  
"I think I'll pass on that one," said Isaac. "Then our only option is to try and rescue Kraden." He looked at Garet and Mia. "I know my alternate has done a lot of unforgivable things to you and to this world," he said. "But at one time he was your friend. So was Ivan. I'm not expecting you to want to help us, but we could really use it if you do. Otherwise, we'll attempt to rescue Kraden on our own."  
  
Garet sat silently for a moment, as if deep in thought. Finally, he said, "I will take you to the castle tomorrow, and show you the best route for getting in. But I cannot do any more than that. I have a family to think of, and helping more could endanger them."  
  
"Thank you," said Isaac, with gratitude.  
  
"It's the least I can do for your saving Rose today. If you hadn't been there, the firestorm would have killed her."  
  
"You can rest here for the night," Mia added. "And in the morning... In the morning, we'll see."  



	6. Flashbacks

CHAPTER 6  
  
_Flashbacks  
  
_--------------------

.

.

.

.

The sun began to sink below the horizon, painting the sky and ground a deep, blood red. In the pens near the tumbledown cluster of huts, the sheep were bedding down for the night. Much of the earth around the farm was scorched black from the firestorm earlier that day, but a few patches of unburned soil remained. Sitting amid the dead grass and dying shrubbery struggling to survive in such a forbidding place was a boy of fifteen, his purple tunic and green cape contrasting sharply with the reds and browns around him.   
  
_Fitting, isn't it?_ Ivan thought, as he looked out across the desolate landscape, noticing the crimson tint the sunset gave it. _Red, like the blood of those who died because of Alchemy.  
  
_ When the Jupiter Adept first arrived in this world, he had not been too concerned. He had felt certain that he and Isaac would be returning shortly to their friends, and the quest would continue as normal. This barren wasteland was just a brief stopping point, to be left behind and forgotten quickly. But now... now things were different. The attitude of despair that coated this world was getting to him. He could not be cheerful anymore, not after listening to Garet and Mia's story and realizing his friends had become completely different people. The long years of sadness had changed them, and it was not a good change. Ivan shivered a little, realizing that these people had started out with the same personalities as his Garet and Mia back home. Which meant... the changes in these analogs could happen in his friends as well, given the right circumstances. That gave rise to another fear. If the Isaac in this world could become so evil, did that mean that the real Isaac could turn for the worse as well? It wasn't a pleasant thought...  
  
_And what is "real"? _Ivan asked himself. Just this morning he would have said that his world, the world he was born in, was the only real place. However, _this_ universe looked and felt just as real as the other. He hadn't thought it was possible that there could be more than one Isaac, or Garet, or Mia; but there were. An accident had resulted in a breakthrough, the discovery of an alternate dimension. For an alternate dimension it was, Ivan had no doubt. It couldn't be the future, because Mia and Garet had spoken of him dying at the Venus Lighthouse, an event already past. That thought alone comforted him- it meant that his world was not destined to end up like this- not unless they chose it to.  
  
As he gazed at the setting sun, Ivan noticed someone else doing the same. It was Mia, the light bathing a red glow across her face. She sat unmoving, presumably lost in thought.   
  
Ivan decided that she looked like she needed moral support at this moment, and approached her cautiously. She looked up slightly, then back off into space. "Hello, Ivan," she said, acknowledging his presence.  
  
"Mind if I sit?" Ivan asked, gesturing to the ground next to the Mercury Adept. She shook her head, so he seated himself beside her, and resumed watching the sunset. A few minutes passed without either of them speaking.  
  
"...It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mia said, after a while. "In a strange sort of way."  
  
"Sort of like how killing can be enjoyable to some, but horrifying to others," Ivan mused. Mia shifted slightly, obviously uncomfortable about the analogy.  
  
"Yes, I suppose you're right," she said. Silence fell again. Ivan noticed that Mia was deliberately avoiding making eye contact with him.   
  
"What is it, Mia?" he asked. She pretended not to have heard him.  
  
"What is it?" he asked again. "You're troubled, I can tell."  
  
"...Ever since you appeared..." she said, slowly, still not turning to look at him. "I can't get it out of my head..."  
  
"Get what out?"   
  
"The day... the day that you...that you died...!" Mia burst into tears. Ivan kicked himself mentally. He shouldn't have pressed the point. Now he had a crying woman on his hands, and that couldn't be good.  
  
Ivan put his arm around her, attempting to calm her down. "Don't cry, Mia," he said, in what he hoped was a soothing voice. He had only had to deal with a sobbing Mia once before, and that was the seventeen year old from his own world. This Mia was twenty-six, an adult, nearly twice his age. He didn't know quite what to do in this situation.  
  
"Um... maybe if you tell me about it, it'll help?" he suggested. "Usually, when you talk to someone about what's bothering you, it helps you to feel better..."  
  
"I c...can't!" she sobbed, and buried her face in his tunic. Ivan's cheeks reddened. He dearly hoped no one came outside and saw this...  
  
"Mia, if you won't tell me about it, I could read your mind," he said, hesitantly. "I can't help you if I don't know what happened."  
  
Mia continued to cry, but nodded her head in agreement with this suggestion. Ivan took a deep breath.  
  
_Here goes nothing,_ he thought, and then cast Mind Read.  
  


------

(A.N. Just to be clear, "I" refers to Mia since it's her memories that Ivan's looking at.)  
  
_The Fusion Dragon...  
  
_ _It is enormous, a thing of pure evil created by the merging of the powers of Saturos and Menardi.  
  
_ _"The monsters just keep getting bigger," Garet jokes, as he stares up at the horrendous creature. I don't see how he can be humorous at such a moment. We are already tired from our fight with the two Mars Adepts, and this dragon is fresh- fresh and more powerful than before. Will we actually be able to defeat such a monster?  
  
_ _"Heads up!" shouts Isaac, as the dragon unleashes Evil Blessing. A cloud of dark smoke spews from its twin mouths, engulfing us. The smoke makes my eyes water, and I hold my breath, attempting not to breathe the stuff in. For a moment, everything is dark as the smoke clogs my vision- but then it lifts and the hellish scene of the top of the lighthouse reappears. Looking around, I see that Ivan, Garet, and Isaac look unharmed.  
  
_ _"Let's get this party started," Isaac says grimly, bringing up his Gaia Blade. Garet lifts his sword as well, and Ivan his Crystal Rod. I ready my mace, silently wondering what good weapons will be against this abomination. It looks like nothing but Psynergy can bring it down.   
  
_ _"TITAN BLADE!" Isaac shouts, unleashing the attack from his weapon. A giant sword, similar and yet different from the one generated by his Ragnarok attack, flies from above and spears the creature. Not being an actual sword, the blade makes no cut in the dragon's skin, but the monster flinches a bit as the Psynergy enters its system. It snarls, raises a giant claw and swipes at the Venus Adept that had hurt it. Isaac manages to dodge, rolling to the ground to avoid the limb whistling overhead.  
  
_ _"Now what, Isaac?" Garet asks, helping his friend to his feet.  
  
_ _"There's no point in using physical attacks. It's too big," Isaac says, glancing upwards. The monster unleashes some sort of fire attack on Ivan, who is on the other side of the lighthouse separated from us by a good distance. The dragon's aim is poor, however, and the Jupiter Adept emerges from the attack unscathed. "Garet, get ready to summon your Djinn_._ Mia," Isaac says to me, noticing that I am listening, "You too. We need the most powerful spells they have to defeat this thing. And someone give Ivan the signal."  
  
_ _I nod, silently calling to my Djinn. They are also tired after our previous battle with Saturos and Menardi, but say they are ready to do their part in the fighting. I then flash the hand signal for 'summon djinn' to Ivan, who nods in acknowledgement. We developed hand signals for different battle commands early on in our quest for just this sort of situation, so in the heat of battle we wouldn't need to shout instructions to those who might be separated from the main group. It had been Ivan's idea, like most of the good ideas we came up with during our journey. Isaac may be a brilliant leader, but Ivan is the thinker of the group. We rely on him almost as much as we do on Isaac.  
  
_ _"METEOR!" Garet shouts, throwing his hand towards the sky. The power of the Mars Djinn bound to him glows in his outstretched arm, growing larger and brighter until finally it separates from him and shoots towards the sky. A moment later, a gigantic meteor, glowing red from its atmospheric entry, streaks across the sky and crashes into the Fusion Dragon. As I always do when watching Garet's Djinn summons, I wonder why the rock does not just keep on going and smash a huge hole in the lighthouse roof.  
  
_ _"THOR!" Ivan cries from the other side of the battlefield, raising his arm in much the same fashion as Garet had a few seconds ago. Purple Jupiter energy pulses through his body, then releases- and high in the sky, the great God of the Wind appears, comes to earth, and smites the enemy with his huge hammer. Then, Thor disappears in a burst of energy, and the dragon reels back from the blow.  
  
_ _"JUDGEMENT!" It is Isaac's turn to summon the Elemental energy of his Djinn. This attack is perhaps the most impressive of the four- high above, the clouds part revealing an archangel dressed in golden armor. He raises a weapon- I never can tell exactly what it is- and gathers energy to him. Then the world explodes as a cleansing blast of Venus energy is unleashed, slamming into the Dragon with the force of judgement day.  
  
_ _Now all that remains is my summon. I take a deep breath, gathering my courage. "BOREAS!" I yell, throwing my arm towards the heavens. Blue lightning crackles on my fingertips as the Djinn ready their energy for the summon, bringing with it a sense of thrilling power. I feel as if I can do anything with a wave of my hand, the power is so immense. Then, as suddenly as the sensation began, it is gone. The Djinn's energy leaves me and soars upward to summon the North Wind.  
  
_ _Up in the sky, far away and yet still within eyesight, somehow, Boreas shakes himself from his icy prison. Then the god breathes, the breath turning to frost in an instant under the north wind's power. The blast of icy air hits the enemy, then disappears, leaving a stunned Dragon in its wake.  
  
_ _"It's almost gone," Isaac says to Garet and I. "A few more good Psynergy attacks should finish it off."  
  
_ _The Dragon is thrashing about wildly now, its rage getting the better of what control Saturos and Menardi still have over it. It jumps into the air, very high, almost out of sight.  
  
_ _"It's coming down!" Garet warns, and the monster plummets to the earth again. It slams into the lighthouse roof, somehow not damaging the structure of the building, and sends us flying. I am thrown away from Garet and Isaac to the opposite side of the roof.   
  
_ _"Use your strongest attacks NOW!" Isaac yells, at the same time unleashing Titan Blade. I use Glacier, which seems to be effective against the Dragon's Mars-alignment. Ivan calls down a giant lightning bolt that spears the creature, and Garet uses his Silver Blade's magical energy to unleash Aqua Sock, as his Mars Psynergy would have no effect on the Dragon's scaly hide.  
  
_ _The creature is clearly dying. I rejoice inwardly, but concentrate on the task at hand. The battle is not over yet, and it wouldn't do to become careless. I run forward, back towards the others and the main part of the battle. That's when it happens.  
  
_ _The dragon, flailing about in pain and rage, swipes at one of the stone statues lining the rim of the Lighthouse beacon. It is thrown across the roof, heading straight for Ivan, who is unaware of the danger he is in. "IVAN!" I shout, but it is too late. The statue crashes into the Jupiter Adept, pinning him to the floor with a sickening crack of breaking bones. There is no time to go to him, however; the dragon is on top of me. I react quickly, sending a blast of ice into the monster's underbelly. It roars, a strange, rattling noise that begins low and grows steadily in pitch and volume, pounding at my eardrums until it takes all of my strength to keep from falling to my knees. I dart out from under the dragon's belly and it falls, backwards, into the lighthouse beacon.  
  
_ _The ground is rumbling and shaking but I pay it no heed. All that matters at this point is that I get to Ivan, that I make sure he is all right. I dash across the roof, stumble, fall, and get to my feet again. My knee hurts- I have cut it- but there is no time to tend to that now. The one thought pounding through my numbed mind is, "Get to Ivan! Get to Ivan!" Over and over it pounds, drumming into me like a sledgehammer with every step I take. Get to Ivan... Get to Ivan...  
  
_ _I reach the Jupiter Adept's side and almost wish I had not. Ivan's chest and lower body is pinned beneath the statue, blood is pooling around him in a sticky puddle. I kneel beside him, my robes staining purple where the red blood and blue fabric meet. His face is white, his breathing shallow. I am afraid his back is broken. Behind me, I hear footsteps as Garet and Isaac approach as well. The footsteps pause as the pair see the extent of the damage. Then, Garet mutters a string of profanities I didn't even know existed.  
  
_ _"Ivan!" I scream, not sure what to do. I never have had to heal anything so serious before. I am not even sure where to begin. "Ivan, can you hear me? Ivan!"  
  
_ _The boy stirs, his eyes open wide, full of pain. "Mia!" he whispers.   
  
_ _Isaac kneels beside me. "Should we try to move the statue?" he asks  
  
_ _"Yes... No... I don't know!" I say, nearly breaking down into hysterics. Mia, you must calm down, a little voice in my head says. You cannot help anyone if you're panicking! The first rule of a healer is to not let the patient know you are afraid. But it is impossible for me to remain calm in this situation. "If you move it, you might injure him further!" I add.  
  
_ _"Well, you can't heal him with a statue on him," says Isaac. "It can't do much more harm."  
  
_ _He and Garet use their Psynergy to lift the statue away. The bleeding starts up again, more profusely than before, from a wound in Ivan's chest. It is caused by a broken rib protruding through the skin. Most of his ribs seem to be broken, and he coughs blood, but very weakly. Garet indulges in another string of profanities.  
  
_ _I cast my strongest Ply, but it doesn't seem to have an effect. I try again, with the same result. The injuries are too great. It is beyond even my skill to heal. A stone drops into my stomach as cold realization hits- Ivan, sweet, little, annoyingly cheerful blonde-haired Ivan, is going to die. And there is nothing I can do about it.   
  
_ _"Mia..." Ivan whispers, and I bend down to listen, trying to stay calm, trying to not let him know I am afraid. Trying, but not succeeding.  
  
_ _"Ivan, it's going to be all right." I lie.  
  
_ _"Mia, I can't feel my legs," he says, panic in his voice. His purple eyes are more than twice their normal size. "Mia, I'm scared!"  
  
_ _So am I, I think, but to him, I say, "Try to stay calm, Ivan. Everything will be fine."  
  
_ _A spasm of pain crosses his face, then is gone. Then, a change comes across him. His face relaxes. His eyes turn dull, accepting. "Mia, I don't think... I don't think I'm going to make it."  
  
_ _"Don't say that!" I answer, tears streaming down my face. I can no longer hold them back. "Of course you're going to make it!"  
  
_ _"At least... I was able to say... goodbye..." he says, each breath sapping what little remains of his life out of him.   
  
_ _"Ivan! Don't talk, lie still," I say, but it is useless. I am only trying to fool myself, make myself believe that he will recover, that things will be like they used to. Isaac and Garet come over and kneel by Ivan. They, too, have realized he is dying.  
  
_ _"Goodbye, Mia, Garet, Isaac..." Ivan says. His eyes are beginning to cloud, his pulse weaken. "Thank you... for being... such good friends..."  
  
_ _"IVAN!" I cry, but it is too late. The Jupiter Adept takes a long, shuddering breath, exhales, and then falls silent. His brilliant violet eyes cloud over, his limbs fall slack, his skin turns as white as chalk. Isaac frantically tries to cast Revive, but it does not work. Nothing will work. It is all over, everything. Our victory over the Dragon is meaningless. For Ivan...Ivan is dead.  
  
_ _I reach out and pull the eyelids over his violet eyes, eyes that will never see another sunrise. He will never laugh or joke again, never awaken us with an overly cheerful, "Good morning!" Never... never... never...  
  
_ _Blissful numbness overtakes my mind. I am in shock, a part of my brain tells me. But it feels so peaceful, this stale of emptiness. It will only last for a moment; then the pain will be back, the horror, the sadness. In this brief moment of calm, however, I look up and see Garet, kneeling by his dead friend, dumbfounded, unawares of the blood seeping through his boots and leggings. Then I see Isaac. He is frozen in place, staring at Ivan's lifeless body with a blank expression on his face. There is something different about him, but I cannot place it. He breaks himself from the spell holding him. He turns to me, his eyes meet mine. Then I see it. His eyes, once so full of life and light, are dark and blank. And in that moment, that brief nanosecond that our eyes are locked together, I realize that the Isaac I used to know is gone... gone forever. _

_------_

Ivan broke from the mind link with a mixture of sadness and horror on his face. _I just watched myself die._ he thought. His mind reeled, trying to process all the new information. _I just watched myself die!   
  
_ Mia continued to sob into his tunic. "It's all my fault." she said, her voice muffled by the fabric. "I should have gotten there quicker, I should have been able to save you!"  
  
"It was _not_ your fault." Ivan said firmly, tearing his thoughts away from the strangeness of the scene he had just witnessed and back to the problem at hand. "Don't ever think that, Mia."  
  
"But I should've been able to do something... should've tried harder..."  
  
"Mia, there was nothing you could have done," Ivan said. "You did all that you could."  
  
"But I'm a Mercury Adept, Ivan!" Mia sobbed. "Mercury Adepts are supposed to be healers! But I couldn't...heal...you!"  
  
"Mercury Adepts aren't all powerful, Mia," said Ivan gently. "They're just people, like anyone else. People with special powers, but people nonetheless. And there are some things people just can't change, no matter how hard they try. Your Ivan's death was one of them."  
  
"Do you forgive me, Ivan?" Mia said, pulling her tear-stained face out of his tunic and staring up at him.  
  
"You didn't do anything that needs forgiveness," Ivan said, smiling. Mia still looked upset, so he added quietly, "But if it makes you feel better, then yes, I do forgive you."  
  
"Thank you, Ivan," Mia replied happily, hugging him tightly. "You don't know how much I needed to hear you say that."  
  
"Anything for a friend, Mia," Ivan replied, glancing up at the horizon where the sun was sinking, dying in the old day to be reborn again in the new.  
  


------  
  


  
  
It was later that night. Ivan and Isaac had been given a room in the upper loft of the house, which was built much like a log cabin. The main room was below, with two, smaller rooms with low ceilings above. Despite the ragged appearance of the hut, it was actually rather cozy. In the next room, Isaac could hear the soft snores of Gregory and Dylan as they slept.   
  
Isaac lay awake in the darkness, staring upwards at the ceiling. He wanted to go to sleep, so he could return to his own world, albeit briefly, but a multitude of questions kept tumbling through his head. Questions without answers....  
  
"Isaac? Are you still awake?" Ivan whispered, his voice ripping through the darkness like a knife.  
  
"Yeah... I can't sleep... There's just too much on my mind, I guess..."  
  
"It's a little overwhelming," Ivan agreed. "Everything in this world's so different. So... so _horrible_. And the worst part is, these people were exactly like us at one point. What if we end up the same way?"  
  
Isaac shivered. "I hope I never end up like _that_. If I ever start turning into a psycho berserk madman that wants to take over the world, tell me, 'k?"  
  
Ivan laughed. "I will, don't worry."  
  
"So, what were you and Mia talking about? You were outside alone for quite a while."  
  
"Watching the sunset...talking..." Ivan said. Then his voice subdued. "She started crying. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong, so, I read her mind." He paused for a moment. "Apparently, I died by being crushed to death under a giant statue."  
  
"Yeesh," said Isaac. "That's a rather unpleasant way to go."  
  
Ivan nodded, although it was too dark for Isaac to see. "There are only three ways I can think of that would be worse- drowning, being burnt to death, or being executed..."  
  
"Stop being so morbid, Ivan."  
  
"Well, it's true. Mia was blaming herself for my death, although there was nothing she could have done about it." He paused again, then laughed. "It feels so weird, talking about 'my death' and when 'I died'."  
  
"Then let's stop. All this death talk is creeping me out, anyway."  
  
There was silence for a minute or two. Then, Isaac asked, "Ivan, you said you came here by mind reading me. Have you tried to break the link and go back?"  
  
"Yeah, lots of times. It doesn't work. It's like I'm not even reading anyone's mind at all, like I was physically transported here somehow. I don't know what to make of it."  
  
"Strange..." Isaac paused. "Well, we'd better go to sleep, then," he said finally, feeling drowsiness overcoming him at last. "I'm sure Garet and Mia will be worried sick about what's happened to you."  
  
"Right. Good night, Isaac."  
  
"Goodnight, Ivan."  
  
Within a minute or two, Isaac heard the Jupiter Adept's breathing slow as he dropped off to sleep. Isaac lay awake a bit longer, but finally, he, too, drifted off, slipping into slumber. But not a peaceful one.  
  



	7. Close Encounters of the Isaac Kind

CHAPTER 7  
  
_Close Encounters of the Isaac Kind  
  
_--------------------  
.  
.  
.  
.

"Mia! Come quick! Isaac's awake!"  
  
Isaac opened his eyes to see two worried faces staring down at him. On the left was Garet, unmistakable with his crimson eyes and spiky red hair. On the right was Mia, her blue eyes full of concern. Her hair was tied in its usual ponytail, but untidier than usual; several strands hung out of place into her eyes. It looked like she had been distracted while putting it up this morning.  
  
"Good morning to you, too, Garet," Isaac groaned, sitting up. He didn't feel tired anymore, although to him it had been an instantaneous transfer from one universe to the other. He supposed this was because his body in the real world had been asleep the whole time he had been wandering around alternate Weyard. 

"You OK?" Garet asked, frowning slightly down at his friend.  
  
"I'm all right, don't worry," Isaac assured him, running a hand through his spiky blonde hair. "How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"All yesterday afternoon, and all night," said Mia.  
  
_Hmm... That's odd. _Isaac thought. _I've been sleeping here longer than I was awake there... I guess time must flow differently in each universe, or something... Weird.  
  
_ "Where's Ivan?" he asked aloud.  
  
Garet moved aside so Isaac could see Ivan's still form, lying by the fire wrapped in a blanket. The Jupiter Adept's chest rose and fell as he breathed, but made no other sign of movement. "He's still asleep."  
  
"He should be awake by now, he went to sleep before I did..." Isaac replied, confused.  
  
"What are you talking about, Isaac?" Mia said, looking worried. _Maybe she still thinks I'm crazy...  
  
_ "After you so _kindly_ sent me to sleep," he explained, "I was sent back to the other world..." He quickly related how Ivan had appeared, scaring the alternate Garet and Mia, and how they had told them the only person who might be able to help was Kraden, who was locked in the other Isaac's castle. "...And so, Ivan should be awake by now." He glanced over to where his friend's body lay, still motionless.  
  
"Then why isn't he?" asked Garet.   
  
"I have no idea," Isaac replied. "Why is _any_ of this happening? It doesn't make sense."  
  
Mia looked thoughtful, her eyes narrowing as she processed the new information. Isaac watched her. He wasn't entirely sure she accepted his story.  
  
"Mia?" he asked, after a moment. "Do you... believe me?"  
  
"Yes," she answered. "Yes, I believe you." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a long kiss.  
  
"Oh, good grief!" Garet said, rolling his eyes. "Do you have to turn everything into a scene from a cheap romance novel?!"  
  
Isaac and Mia stared at him. Garet sighed. "Never mind, stupid question. I'll just leave you two alone then, shall I?" He walked away, leaving his friends to their own devices.

------

"Garet, must you hold him like that? He'll have a horrible headache when he wakes up."  
  
Garet turned and glared at Isaac. The Mars Adept was carrying Ivan over his shoulder, the boy's head hanging upside-down across his back. "Ivan's not the heaviest person in the world, Isaac," the Mars Adept replied, "but he's not a pillow, either. It _does_ get tiresome to carry him after awhile. And I don't see you jumping to take a turn."  
  
The group had realized that their supplies would not hold out indefinitely, and since during daylight hours Isaac was still with them, they decided to press on towards the next village. Of course, Ivan being unconscious at the moment, someone had to carry him.  
  
"I have ...other things to worry about," Isaac answered his friend, glancing down at Mia. The Mercury Adept had her arm wrapped around his waist, her head resting against his shoulder. Her blue eyes were closed, and to all apparent purposes, she was asleep. Except for the fact that she was still walking.   
  
"How does she _do_ that?" Garet asked, enviously. "I've heard of people who sleepwalk, but I've never met anyone besides her who can do it intentionally!"  
  
"Guess it must be a Mercury Adept thing," Isaac answered, looking down at Mia. She seemed so peaceful, so carefree, so unlike the other Mia in every way. He silently vowed to himself never to let her end up like her counterpart, not as long as he was around to prevent it.   
  
"But what's wrong with me carrying Ivan like this, anyway?" Garet asked, moving the conversation back to the previous topic. "It's not hurting him."  
  
"It's just that it seems like you're treating him like he's, well... dead," Isaac said, then fell silent.   
  
Garet considered him. "It's that other world, isn't it? Ivan was dead there, and you're worried that it might happen here, too." Isaac nodded.  
  
"I've always known that the quest is dangerous..." the Venus Adept began. "But I never thought... never considered... that someone might actually die. I guess that I've been naive; casualties are only to be expected on a journey like ours..." He slammed his right fist into his left palm in anger. "Dammit, Garet, I'm scared! Scared of what might happen to us, to the quest, if one of us dies. I'm scared that if something happens to you, or to Ivan, or to Mia," here he glanced down at the sleeping form leaning on his shoulder, "I might end up like _he_ did. I'm scared that I'll become a hideous monster and hurt those that I love most. I couldn't stand it if you two end up like the Garet and Mia in the other world." He stared at the ground, trying to keep his emotions from getting the better of him and bursting into tears. Crying would help nobody, and besides, he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Garet.  
  
"Isaac, just because that other Isaac looks like you, and at one time acted like you, doesn't mean that his destiny has to be yours," Garet said, in a dead serious voice. Isaac looked up as his friend continued. "Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not your fault, and I'm sure you have no intention of turning out like him, so stop worrying about stuff that _might_ happen and focus on what _is_ happening."  
  
Isaac managed to give his friend a weak smile. Garet might be a total idiot most of the time, but when it really mattered, he knew exactly what to say to make others feel better. "Thanks, Gar'. Maybe you're not as stupid as you act."  
  
Garet grinned. "Only when I need to be."  
  
Isaac rolled his eyes, and continued walking. It was going to be a long day... in both universes.

------

Early morning light streamed over the landscape, the beauty of the sunrise making the burnt and barren fields look even more dismal. The black fortress of the other Isaac loomed up from the rocky terrain of Mt. Aleph, gloomy and forbidding. Three pairs of eyes, one red, one blue, and one violet, peered out at the building from behind some rocks and withered trees near the structure's main gates.  
  
"So this is the castle?" Ivan whispered, staring up in awe. He had never imagined such a thing could exist. The walls were made of sheer black stone, stretching up into the sky until they seemed lost in the clouds. The building consisted of a square courtyard, surrounded by a thick, extremely high wall. Each corner of the square contained a circular tower, so tall they seemed to be miniature lighthouses. At the far end of the courtyard stood the massive keep, grim and dark. The strangest thing about the place, however, was the aura it gave off- a black power that radiated into the mind, pressing inwards, the aura of despair...  
  
"The power of Alchemy," Garet whispered. "You can feel it, can't you?"  
  
Isaac nodded. He didn't see how anyone could live in the castle and not be driven mad. The aura already made him uncomfortable, and he hadn't been there five minutes. Glancing over at Ivan, he saw the Jupiter Adept shaking slightly.   
  
"Ivan? Are you all right?" he queried, worried about his friend. Ivan jerked, and looked up. He seemed disoriented, as though waking from a dream. Isaac wondered what had made him do that.  
  
"It's the aura," he replied, answering Isaac's unasked question. "It's pushing into my mind... It's... watching us..."  
  
"What?" asked Garet. "You mean Isaac already knows that we're out here?"  
  
"No." Ivan answered. "But Alchemy does."  
  
"Huh?" Garet said, confused.  
  
"It can see us... It know we're here... And it knows we're a threat..."  
  
"You almost make it sound like it's alive," Isaac said, puzzled.  
  
"Maybe it is..."  
  
"Now you're not making sense, Ivan." said Garet. "Alchemy is a power, it isn't _alive_. You're just getting paranoid."  
  
Ivan still looked unconvinced. "I guess you're right, Garet..."  
  
"All right, we've made it to the castle," Isaac said, changing the subject back to the matter at hand. "Now, how do we get inside?"  
  
"There is a small door you can use to get into the courtyard on the left side, " Garet answered, indicating a barely visible doorway in the otherwise solid rock of the building. "But the only entrance into the keep is the main one, and that's guarded."  
  
"And I suppose the dungeons where Kraden is kept are in the keep."  
  
"Correct."  
  
Ivan sighed. "Then how are we supposed to get in?"  
  
Isaac stared at the castle walls intently for a moment, then turned back to his friends with a determined look in his eyes. "Let's concentrate on getting inside the courtyard first, and then worry about the keep. One thing at a time."  
  
"Now wait a minute, Isaac," Garet cautioned. "You can't just barge in there as you are. You'll be spotted immediately!"  
  
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Isaac answered. "I'm _not_ going to give up. If Kraden's our only chance of getting back to our own world, then we have to take it!"  
  
"I'm not suggesting you give up, Isaac. All you need is a disguise."  
  
"A disguise?"  
  
Garet pointed to a pair of guards, lounging near some conveniently placed rocks not too far away. Their armor was gold colored and thick, and their helmets completely obscured their faces. "A disguise."  
  
"...I see."

------

"This is like, the oldest trick in the book, Isaac!" Ivan griped as he stood covered from head to toe with heavy armor. "It'll never work! And besides, I can't even see!"  
  
"No one will know it's us, Ivan," Isaac replied, his voice slightly muffled by his helmet. They had knocked out the guards easily, with the help of Garet, and dragged them behind the rocks before anyone noticed they were missing. The armor was not the best fitting thing in the world, and it smelled as if its former occupant had never heard of bathing, but it did conceal their identity. Isaac studied Ivan appraisingly. Yes, he looked like a passable soldier, if a short one. The armor was a "one size fits all" variety, with adjustable bands to fit the wearer's specifications, but even with them at their smallest the metal chest and arm-plates were still rather too big for the slightly built Jupiter Adept.  
  
"Well, one thing's for certain," Ivan said, walking a few steps to get used to the extra weight. "We won't be sneaking around much with the noise this stuff makes."  
  
"Hopefully, we won't need to," Isaac replied, belting the soldier's sword around his waist. His own Gaia Blade had not made it across the void of universes, and Isaac felt rather glad to have a weapon again. It would not have been a good idea to wander around an enemy castle unarmed.  
  
"Once you get inside the keep," Garet instructed, "take a right. Then take the staircase down, take the first left corridor, then another down staircase, then a right, and you'll be at the prisoner's cells."  
  
"Right, down, left, down, right. Got it," Isaac repeated, memorizing the directions.  
  
"How do you know all this stuff about the castle?" Ivan queried.  
  
"I helped to build it," Garet replied. "All the villagers did. Are you ready?"  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be," Isaac answered,   
  
Ivan looked up at the castle again, shuddered, and then nodded. "Let's get thing over with. I want to go _home_!"  
  
Isaac turned to Garet. "Take care of yourself," he said, offering his hand, which the older man took. "And take care of Mia."  
  
"I will," Garet replied, shaking his hand firmly. Releasing his grip, the Mars Adept then moved on to Ivan.  
  
"Be careful, Ivan," he said, clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Try not to... well, get hurt."  
  
Ivan nodded, understanding what Garet was getting at.  
  
"All right, let's get this show on the road," said Isaac, and stepping out from behind the rock, he made his way over to the small door in the wall.   
  
"This is never going to work," Ivan muttered, clanking along resignedly behind.

------

"I don't _believe_ it! It actually _worked_!"  
  
"Yes, Ivan, I realize that. I realized it the last ten times you said it, as well," Isaac sighed. "Now could you get over your astonishment at our entry and concentrate on finding the dungeon?"  
  
"Sorry," Ivan said, sheepishly. The disguises had worked perfectly, much to Ivan's surprise and Isaac's relief. He, to, had been having doubts about the plan. He just hadn't been as audible with them as the Jupiter Adept. But now they were inside, and the first phase was over. The second phase - getting into the cellblock and freeing Kraden- loomed ever closer ahead. It didn't help that Isaac had absolutely no plan as to how they were to accomplish this goal.  
  
"Right, down, left, down, ...right. This should be it, Ivan," Isaac whispered, pointing at a wooden doorway just ahead. It certainly looked like the entrance to a dungeon, barred and weathered, with an ensconced torch flickering on either side. It also helped that there was a large sign reading 'DUNGEON' hanging on the wall above it.  
  
"Now what?" Ivan whispered back. "And why are we whispering?"  
  
"The answer to both questions is 'I don't know'," Isaac replied with a sigh.   
  
"But you're the leader- you're supposed to be full of ideas."  
  
"And you're the smart one- so are you."  
  
"Well, I don't have a clue as to what we should do. We don't even know how many guards are in there. There could be one, none, or an entire _squadron_ for all we know."  
  
Isaac leaned back against the wall to think. "I suppose..." he said after a minute, "that our only option is to just go in and play it as we go along. We certainly won't get anywhere standing around out here."  
  
"All right..." Ivan said, skeptically.   
  
"Stay close, and try not to talk to much," Isaac ordered, immediately reverting to his leadership role. "It might make the guards suspicious."  
  
"OK," Ivan nodded. "Let's go."  
  
Isaac cautiously opened the door, and they entered. A few feet away was a guard, sitting at a table twirling a ring of keys around his finger. He looked up when the two Adepts entered.  
  
"Whaddya want?" he asked sullenly. His helmet was off, and eyes looked rather red, as if he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the previous night. That gave Isaac an idea.  
  
"The Lord Isaac wants to speak with the prisoner Kraden," he said, trying to make his voice sound deep and as un-Isaac like as possible. He didn't want this man to recognize his voice and get suspicious.  
  
"Down the hall and to the left. Eighth cell down," the guard replied, tossing Isaac the key ring. The Venus Adept caught it easily, the metal of the keys clinking against his armored gauntlets.  
  
Isaac nodded curtly to the man, and started to walk in the direction indicated. Once he was behind the man's back, however, he quickly flashed Ivan a hand gesture. Ivan barely inclined his head, telling Isaac he had gotten the message, and then said to the man.  
  
"You look tired. Have you not been able to sleep lately?"  
  
The man laughed. "Sleep? Who can sleep in this accursed place? With that shadow hanging over us every stinkin' moment, I haven't had a decent night's rest in weeks. I'd do anything for a hour's shuteye."  
  
"That can be arranged."  
  
A moment later, the soft glow of Ivan's Sleep Psynergy filled the room, and the guard's head drooped onto the table. Within seconds, his snores echoed softly off the stone walls.  
  
"Good work, Ivan," Isaac said, mentally breathing a sigh of relief. The spell should last for a few hours, more than enough time for them to get Kraden and find a way to escape.  
  
"Come on, let's find Kraden and get out of here," Ivan shivered. "I can't stand much more of this place. No wonder that guard couldn't sleep."  
  
The pair of Adepts walked quickly along the stone halls, peering into the cells on either side. Most of them appeared to be standard, empty dungeons, with rats, dust, and even the occasional skeleton. When they reached the eighth door, however, a different sight met their eyes. The door was not a dungeon door, with its small barred window, but an ordinary door you might find in an everyday house. A ribbon of light shone out from the crack beneath it.  
  
Giving Ivan a puzzled glance, which was lost beneath his helmet, Isaac proceeded to try the keys on the ring in the lock. The third try produced a soft 'click' and the door swung silently inwards. Isaac took a deep breath, and stepped inside.   
  
What they entered certainly did not look like a dungeon. The room before them was small and circular, with a cheery fire in the corner and a cozy atmosphere. Even the oppressive pull of Alchemy in their minds lessened upon entering. A battered armchair sat before the fire, and a small, neatly made bed stood against the far wall. A table in the center of the room held many strange pieces of scientific equipment. Two large bookshelves, containing volumes with titles like "Alchemy for Dummies" leaned against the wall opposite the bed. The room was also completely devoid of human life.  
  
"Hello?" Isaac said, cautiously, stepping a pace forward farther into the room. "Kraden? Are you in here?"  
  
"I don't like this..." Ivan said, looking all around the room for possible places where an old man could be hiding. "Where is he?"  
  
"He must be here somewhere..." Isaac replied.  
  
"So I am."  
  
Both Adepts jumped in alarm as a familiar voice spoke from just behind them. Isaac whirled around, sword drawn and ready for action.  
  
"Put away your sword, Isaac. It's only me," Kraden said, with an amused look on his old face.   
  
Isaac did so, but eyed his former teacher suspiciously. "How did you know it was me?"  
  
"Easy. I would recognize your voice anywhere. Goodness knows, your double's shouted at me often enough these past few years. Do come sit down, Isaac, Ivan. We have much to discuss."  
  
Ivan stiffened immediately, but it took Isaac a moment for what Kraden had said to register. Then his eyes widened in shock. He had known Ivan's name- and he had said 'your double'!   
  
"All right, Kraden, spill it. How did you know about us?"  
  
Kraden chuckled. "I have my ways."  
  
Isaac was beginning to lose patience. "We don't have time for this, Kraden. Give us a straight answer."  
  
Kraden sighed. "All right, all right, I will. But first, come in and sit down, and take off those helmets. They must be ridiculously uncomfortable."  
  
The two boys did as they were told, finding chairs around the table while Kraden sat in the armchair. The firelight flickered across the old scholar's face, which gave his features a strange, almost demonic look as he began to speak.  
  
"Yesterday, I received a visit from the Wise One. You know who the Wise One is, Isaac, right?"  
  
Isaac nodded, thinking back on the gray, floating telepathic rock that had sent Garet and himself out on their journey. But what did he have to do with anything?  
  
"He gave me some very interesting information that I think you should know," Kraden continued. "He told me that a temporal flux in the space/time continuum has occurred, stemming from the simultaneous lighting of the Venus Elemental Lighthouse and the merging of the powers of two highly talented members of the Mars Clan. This in turn caused a break in the natural flow of dimensional time, creating two parallel realities whose diverging point coincides with the origin of the flux-"  
  
"Hold on," Isaac said, confused. "What was that again?"  
  
Kraden peered at him disapprovingly over his spectacles. "Isaac, you really need to learn to listen better. I said, he told me that a temporal flux in the space/time continuum-"  
  
"I _heard_ what you said, Kraden." Isaac growled, exasperated. "I just didn't _understand_ it! Say it again, in English, please."  
  
Kraden stared at him strangely. "But I _was_ speaking in English."  
  
Isaac sighed. Ivan, on the other hand, merely stated calmly, "He said that the lighting of the Venus beacon and the fusing of Saturos and Menardi at the same time made this world."  
  
Kraden beamed at him. "Couldn't have said it better myself. You're a smart young lad, Ivan, my boy. Isaac, you could do with taking a few lessons from him."  
  
Ivan burst out laughing. Isaac groaned, and held his head in his hands. The combined pressures of Kraden's prattle and the aura of Alchemy all around him were giving him a migraine.  
  
"Do you want to hear what else he told me?" Kraden asked. Ivan nodded, and Isaac just moaned. Taking this as a sign of approval, Kraden launched himself in to a long, drawn out tale containing many "therefores" and "hithertos" and other long, confusing words, which Isaac could make no sense of at all. Ivan, however, seemed to understand perfectly.  
  
"... Therefore, you must understand that, due to the complex and multidimensional nature of Alchemy's power, the unleashing of it in this universe will have dire and possibly fatal consequences in your own. If the power is not sealed, and this dimension unmade, both realities will crumble, merge together and eventually self-destruct, ending all life as we know it."  
  
"What?" Isaac asked.  
  
"If we don't reseal Alchemy, we're screwed," Ivan told him, a tone of complete unconcern in his voice.  
  
"...Being as it may that the Isaac of this universe is unable to complete that task, the Wise One, who was not duplicated in the dimensional rift due to his immense Psynergetic and omnipotent abilities, has called you here to do what your analogs cannot and seal the power of Alchemy away, thus unmaking this dimension and negating the threat of temporal unraveling..."  
  
"The Wise One wants us to save the world..."  
  
"He is also aware that you are already upon a quest of colossal proportions in your own reality-"  
  
"...Again..."  
  
"-so he has provided for the transferal of your consciousness across the dimension barrier via a subconscious link while at rest-"  
  
"You go back to the real world when you sleep here..."  
  
"-However, Ivan's arrival in this universe was not anticipated, so the subconscious link was not completed successfully and his consciousness remains in limbo while asleep-"  
  
"...but I wasn't supposed to come, so now I'm trapped..."  
  
"Therefore, to restore the natural order of the universe, avert the hitherto unforeseen impending catastrophic destruction of the world and return to your own dimension, you, Isaac, must find a way to reseal the power of Alchemy. Only then will you be able to leave this world behind you and continue on your quest."  
  
"You have to save the world or we can't go home."  
  
"Now, in order to reseal Alchemy, you must get the current holder of the power, which in this case, is the alternate Isaac, to voluntarily give up the power, which theoretically should revert it back to its crystalline form, or to be more specific, back into the Elemental Stars, and with the power gone, this universe will dissolve within a few days and the normal balance of time will resume."  
  
"And to do that we have to get the other Isaac to seal Alchemy back up."  
  
"He also said a number of other things, but I don't think I need to go into them right now-"  
  
"No, please don't," Isaac groaned, covering his ears.   
  
"So, I believe that's everything you need to know, at least for now. Any questions?"  
  
"Yes, I have a question." Isaac whispered to Ivan. "If Kraden talked in a forest, and no one was around to hear him, would he still be annoying?"  
  
Ivan sniggered. Kraden harrumphed and looked down on them from behind his spectacles, which was a considerable feat seeing that Isaac was several inches taller than him. "If you two have time to whisper, then I suppose you _don't_ have any questions."  
  
Both boys shook their heads vehemently.  
  
"Good. Now get going, and may the Elemental Spirits be with you."  
  
"Hey, wait a second!" Isaac said. "Just _how_ are we supposed to get the other Isaac to reseal Alchemy? It's not like we can just walk up to him and say, 'Hey mister! We're from another universe and we need you to give up your power so we won't all be blown into fiery oblivion! Terribly sorry about that.' "  
  
Kraden waved the query off. "Oh, you're young and resourceful. You'll figure something out. Besides, you said you didn't have any questions! Now get going!"  
  
"But-"  
  
Kraden escorted them to the door. "This world is counting on you two. Good luck!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Goodbye!"  
  
A moment later, Isaac and Ivan found themselves staring at a closed door.  
  
"Well, that was an interesting experience." Ivan said, after an awkward silence. "He didn't even let us rescue him."  
  
"Yeah," Isaac echoed. Then he thought of something. "Ivan, how come the Wise One talked to him instead of directly to one of us?"  
  
"I don't know. Why don't you go ask Kraden?" Ivan said, slyly.  
  
"No thank you," Isaac shivered. "I've had enough of _him_ to last a lifetime. How the heck could you understand what he was saying?"  
  
Ivan shrugged. "It's a gift."  
  
"It's a gift to be able to decipher the speech of annoying old men?"  
  
Ivan laughed. "Well, maybe not a _gift_, but a talent, at least."  
  
"Right, Ivan. Whatever you say."  
  
Their conversation was interrupted, however, by a voice from a cell in the wall opposite from Kraden's room.  
  
"Isaac?"  
  
Isaac whirled around and peered between the bars on the cell door. He gasped in surprise as he saw the person standing within. "Bernard?!?"  
  
It was indeed, Garet's little brother Bernard. The family resemblance was unmistakable. Bernard was the spitting image of his older brother, or what Garet would have looked like if he were a little shorter and didn't have hair that looked like he had been hit with a cartload of hair gel. The little boy Isaac remembered from Vale had grown up. Isaac realized with a jolt of shock that this boy- no, man- was now several years older than himself. It was a very disconcerting thought.  
  
Bernard moved forward and grasped the bars of the door. "I never thought I'd be seeing you down here, Isaac."  
  
"Who is this, Isaac?" Ivan asked.  
  
"This is Bernard, Garet's little brother," Isaac explained.   
  
"Garet's little broth-" Ivan's eyes widened. "You mean that short little kid who looked WAY too much like a girl? That little brother?"  
  
"It was just those stupid tunics my mother made me wear," Bernard said, scowling. "It wasn't my fault."  
  
Ivan coughed, which could have been hiding a snigger.  
  
"I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Ivan." Isaac said, laughing. "You look pretty girly yourself."  
  
Ivan looked enraged. "Say that again..." He said threateningly, raising a fist. Since he was several feet shorter than Isaac, this looked rather comical. Isaac continued to laugh uncontrollably, and Bernard simply looked confused. Ivan sighed, and lowered his fist. He would never have been able to beat Isaac in a fight, anyway. He would have to find some _other_ way of getting even...  
  
"What brings you to these parts, Isaac?" Bernard said, a note of menace in his voice. His statement served to bring Isaac and Ivan's attention back to their current situation. "Come to gloat over what's happened to your former friends?"  
  
"I'm not who you think I am, Bernard," said Isaac, realizing that the red-haired man believed him to be his counterpart.   
  
"You're Isaac, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes, but..." Isaac sighed. "It'll take too long to explain like this. We'd better get you out of that cell first. Ivan?"  
  
Ivan nodded, taking the key ring they had gotten from the guard and testing the lock. After a few unsuccessful tries, the door swung open and Bernard stepped out into full view. Although shorter than Garet, he still towered over both Isaac and Ivan. He wore a ragged, dirty brown tunic that looked like it hadn't been washed in months. His hair was not spiky like his brother's, but long and straight, although untidy and rather greasy looking. He also had a scraggly beard, as he obviously hadn't been able to shave for quite some time. His eyes, like so many of the other residents of this world Isaac and Ivan had encountered so far, were sunken, dark, and full of despair.  
  
There was silence for a moment, and then Bernard's face contorted with rage. Grabbing Isaac by the throat, he lifted the Venus Adept off his feet and slammed him against the nearby stone wall.   
  
"I swore that if I ever got the chance, I'd kill you, Isaac," he growled. "After what you've done to my family, to Vale..."  
  
Isaac gasped for air, the face of his attacker beginning to swirl before him as his oxygen supply was cut off. The all-too-familiar darkness that heralded unconsciousness crept across the periphery of his vision. _This must be some kind of record, _he thought, as he struggled to break free of the chokehold. _Getting knocked out three times in one week...  
  
_ Bernard might have succeeded in taking Isaac's life if it wasn't for one key detail. He had forgotten about Ivan.  
  
"Hey! Let go of him!" Ivan cried, running forward. He tried to pry Bernard's fingers off Isaac's throat, but the older man was too strong for him. He simply swiped at the Jupiter Adept with one arm as if he were a gnat, sending the boy flying across the corridor and crashing into the opposite wall.  
  
"That's going to leave a bruise," Ivan muttered, rubbing his shoulder where it had smashed against the stones. Deciding that a more forceful approach was needed, he raised his uninjured arm into the air and cried, "Ray!" A mild bolt of electricity shot down from the ceiling and hit Bernard. Although it was not powerful enough to actually hurt the man, it startled him enough that he dropped Isaac.   
  
"Thanks, Ivan," Isaac gasped, as the Jupiter Adept helped him to his feet. Leaning up against the wall, he took several deep breaths to stop his head from spinning. Turning to Bernard, who had recovered from his shock and stood a few feet away, he said, "Does trying to choke people to death run in your family or something? Because that's _exactly_ the same thing Garet did when _he_ first saw me."  
  
Bernard glowered at Isaac, still obviously believing him to be an enemy. "You've seen Garet?"  
  
Isaac nodded, massaging his sore neck. "He's outside right now, actualLY" His strained voice cracked, and as he continued speaking, his words kept changing octaves in the middle. "IVan, I thINK yoU BETter exPLAin... I caN'T TAlk anYmoRE..."  
  
Ivan giggled at his friend's predicament, but a glare from Isaac quickly silenced him. The next few minutes were devoted to the Jupiter Adept giving a brief version of the events of the past few days to Bernard, with Isaac contributing to the dialogue with an occasional grunt or "uhHUh". When it concluded, Bernard still looked rather suspicious, but Ivan's casual suggestion that if he didn't believe them, he could just go ask Kraden to confirm it quickly convinced him. Bernard wisely decided that they were, indeed, telling the truth, and no conversation with Kraden was necessary.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry I attacked you, Isaac," Bernard said, apologetically. "I thought you were, you know, the _other_ Isaac."  
  
"ThAt's OkaY." Isaac replied, his strained voice still refusing to return to normal.  
  
"Now what do we do?" Ivan asked.   
  
"We LEaVe thE cAStle, of COUrsE," the Venus Adept answered. "anD tAkE BERnArd wITH uS."  
  
"But how? He doesn't have any armor to disguise himself, like we do."  
  
"wE'll jUSt haVE to-" Isaac was cut off by a strangely familiar voice echoing own the corridor.  
  
"Sleeping on duty? We'll have you court-martialed for that! Captain! Take this man and put him in one of the empty cells!"  
  
"Oh no," Ivan whispered. "It's _him_."  
  
For the voice was very familiar indeed. It was a voice that had been heard in this corridor only a few minutes ago, before the unfortunate choking incident. Isaac's voice.  
  
"They're coming this way!" Bernard whispered, hearing the metal ring of guards boots on the stone floor. "What do we do?"  
  
"quICk!" Isaac whispered back. "thIS wAy! MAybE wE can fIND a plACE to HIde!"  
  
The three of them dashed off as quickly and quietly as they could in the direction opposite from the one the echoing noises were coming from. Hurtling around a corner, Isaac immediately had several revelations.  
  
The first was that the corridor they had chosen did, indeed, lead somewhere.  
  
The second was that that somewhere was the guardroom. They had come in a complete circle from where they started.  
  
The third was that they had left their helmets behind in Kraden's cell.  
  
And the last was that the room was not empty. Standing a few feet away, wearing different clothes and a very shocked expression was- himself.  
  
_Oh, crud._ Isaac thought as he stared into the blue eyes of Isaac, Lord of the Castle, possessor of the power of Alchemy, and enemy of the free peoples of the world.


	8. The Mines of Altin

  
  
'Tis time for another chapter, but before I begin, I have a few short author's notes...  
  
Snoopy6458: I reread the chapter after you reviewed, but I'm still not sure what dialogue you were referring to... sorry if I ripped off Tolkien, it was purely accidental! Really!  
  
(However, I have to disagree with you in the eye thing. Real people DO have gigantic freaky eyes like Garet's little brother's. Just watch LotR for a few minutes. You'll find one.)   
  
Midnight C, Alex, and Incrediblecuznz: Fortunately, you won't be needing to steal/destroy/horribly mutilate my Breath of Fire game anymore- I beat it :) And it only took me 51 hours and 11 minutes, too...  
  
Sheba: ::gasp:: [typing] _That's 9 hours and 9 minutes more than you spent playing Golden Sun! You traitor!  
  
_[Whistling nonchalantly] Let's start the chapter, shall we?  
  
Sheba: [typing] _How could you spend nine more hours playing a stupid game that doesn't even have ME in it? It's unthinkable!  
  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. Obviously.  
  


----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 8- The Mines of Altin  
  
  
  
  
  


Isaac had never enjoyed riding in carts. When he was a boy, he had occasionally been allowed to ride with his father and a few of the other men to take the surplus grain Vale produced to sell in Vault. It was the only time each year that villagers were allowed to see the outside world, and Isaac jumped at the opportunity. However, each journey meant riding in one of Vale's two carts, which were identical in carrying capacity and discomfort. They were ancient vehicles, rumored to have been made in the boyhood days of the Great Healer, approximately 65 million years ago. The carts were built of unsanded wood that contained at least a thousand splinters per square inch. As they rolled along the dirt path leading from Vale to Vault, the carts jolted violently at every slight depression or raised section of the road. Consequently, the passenger's backsides quickly become sore from being bounced up and down- that is, of course, if the splinters had not already done so. Furthermore, the younger boys like Garet and Isaac were forced to ride in the back of the cart among the hay, which got inside your clothes and made you itch for days. Still, the trip had been an irresistible opportunity to meet non-Adepts, so year after year, Isaac climbed into a cart and suffered the long three hours both ways, with an hour or two sightseeing once they reached Vault. He had never thought it was possible to find more uncomfortable carts.  
  
How wrong he was.   
  
Of course, it did not help that he had just woken up from being beaten senseless by a bunch of palace guards, and his entire body felt like it had been slowly torn to pieces, sown back together, and then torn apart again. However, Isaac was willing to bet that even if he were in perfect condition, the jolts produced by the cart he was currently riding in still would have measured a 9.8 on the Richter scale. That far surpassed the 8.7 of his boyhood carts.   
  
Keeping his eyes closed, the Venus Adept ran through everything that had happened in the past few hours. He and Ivan had snuck into the alternate Isaac's fortress and met Kraden, who took several years to tell them that, basically, the world was going to end if they didn't somehow get the other Isaac to reseal Alchemy. Receiving no helpful advice on how to do this, the two boys had freed Garet's brother Bernard from a cell, who thanked them by nearly choking Isaac to death. Once that misunderstanding was cleared up, they had had a close encounter with the analog Isaac, were captured by a bunch of guards that turned out to be Adepts as well, proclaimed 'spies trying to impersonate our illustrious leader', beaten for a while, and knocked out. Now, after a brief visit to the real world, Isaac had awoken in a rickety cart with a sore throat, a splitting headache, numerous bruises, and no idea where in the world he was going.   
  
"Hey, Isaac, you awake?"   
  
A hoarse whisper penetrated the noise of the cart's wheels turning and the 'clip, clop' of the hooves of the animals pulling it. Isaac immediately recognized the voice as belonging to Ivan. Opening one eye, he spotted the Jupiter Adept leaning against the side of the cart not far away. Ivan looked as bad as Isaac felt. The soldier armor had been stripped away and the Jupiter Adept's normal clothes were torn in many places. He had a black eye, numerous bruises, and a nasty looking cut on his forehead. His blonde hair hung limply across his face, plastered down by blood and sweat.   
  
"You look terrible, Ivan," Isaac remarked by way of an answer. The boy in question forced a smile.   
  
"I feel as though I was attacked by a thousand insane Djinn and simultaneously run over by the spirit of Kirin. Twice."   
  
"Have you been sitting here thinking up that analogy all morning?"   
  
"Nothing better to do out here."   
  
Isaac groaned and shut his eyes again. "Where is here anyway? Do you know where they're taking us?"   
  
"To the Mines of Altin," another voice rumbled from Isaac's left. Opening both eyes and squinting against the sun, the Venus Adept made out the outline of Bernard leaning against the cart opposite Ivan. He seemed in much better condition than the Jupiter Adept, but then again, he hadn't looked too good to begin with.   
  
"The Mines of Altin?" Ivan asked. "Garet mentioned something about that, I think."   
  
"It is where all prisoners Isaac no longer wants are sent," Bernard growled. "I should have gone there long ago, but Isaac kept me around for some reason. Probably so he could use me as leverage against Garet if he had to. Once you go to the Mines, you never come back alive."   
  
Isaac shivered. "Why not?"   
  
"It is a death camp, Isaac, plain and simple. You work until you cannot anymore, and then, they kill you."   
  
Isaac decided not to think about that anymore, and instead surveyed the cart they were riding in. It was a wooden vehicle, similar to the ones he remembered from his boyhood days in Vale. The only major difference was that on the back of this cart, instead of hay, was a large box. It was very strange looking, in fact- it seemed to be made of some kind of translucent metal. Isaac could see right through the walls, out onto the burnt plains before the castle.   
  
"It's made of Lemurian steel," Bernard said, noticing Isaac peering at the walls. "Fairly strong in its own right, but the main thing about it is that it's clear, and it blocks Psynergy. That makes it extremely useful in making thief-proof windows in Lemuria- or, over here, in trapping Adepts." Bernard paused, and thought for a moment. "There's probably a layer of it inside those guard's armor- that's why your Ragnarok spell didn't work."   
  
Isaac nodded, thinking back to a few hours before when the three of them had been cornered by several guards. His spell had hit the guards straight on, but they had shrugged it off like it was nothing.   
  
"Most likely," Bernard continued, "it's only in the chest, legs and helmets of the suit, because if it was in the arms, too, the guards wouldn't have been able to use their Psynergy."   
  
"But our Psynergy will work inside here, right?" Isaac asked.   
  
"Yes," Bernard answered. "The steel's only to keep us from getting out."   
  
"That's good," Isaac said, closing his eyes once again. That meant that his Cure spell should be able to relieve some of the pain he was feeling. Reaching deep inside himself, he felt the familiar presence of his Psynergy lurking there. He pulled it outwards with his mind and cast his spell. Most of the pain vanished, although his muscles still ached. Under normal circumstances, he would have used a stronger spell and cured the pain entirely. However, his Psynergy was still low after the pounding he had received and he did not want to waste it. Moving over to Ivan, he cast Cure again, noticing with relief that both the black eye and the cut on his friend's forehead vanished.   
  
"Thanks, Isaac," Ivan said, relieved. Isaac crawled on to Bernard and treated him, then moved back against he side of the cart.   
  
"Now what?" he asked.  
  
"There's nothing to do now but wait," Bernard said. "Wait until we reach Altin. And once we do..." He paused. "I'm afraid this cart ride will seem like a beach vacation."   
  
The cart with its three prisoners continued to rumble on down the dusty road that once connected Vale and Vault, just like others had over thirteen years ago, in this world, when Isaac rode to market with his father. The cart, pulled by a pair of ornery donkeys, jolted over the bumps in the road, urged onward by an armored, whip carrying soldier. It passed a clump of burnt bushes by the roadside, kicked some dust into the air, and continued on its journey. What none of the cart's occupants noticed were two pairs of small eyes peering from those bushes. They watched and waited, and after the cart passed into the distance, the owners of the eyes hurried homeward bearing disturbing news.  
  
  


------------------------------------------  
  
  
  


"Are you sure that's who you saw, Dylan?"   
  
The little boy nodded emphatically. "Yes, Papa, we saw the funny man an' your friend an' Uncle Bernard, in the wagon. At least, _I_ knew it was Uncle Bernard. Greg's too little to remember him."   
  
"I am not!" the smaller boy standing to Dylan's right piped up. "I remember... sorta..."   
  
Garet turned back to Mia, who stood watching the proceedings with Rose in her arms. "I can't believe it! Bernard's alive? After all these years?"   
  
"It's rather hard to accept," Mia admitted. Placing Rose on the ground, she knelt down and asked Dylan, "Can you describe the man who looked like your uncle to us?"   
  
Dylan obliged, and after he had finished, Garet nodded. "There's no mistaking it. That's Bernard, all right." He shook his head. "I can't believe it! He's alive!"   
  
"But he might not be much longer," Mia said quietly. "Dylan said he saw the cart on the Death Road. There's only one possible place they could be going."   
  
"Altin," Garet whispered, the name somehow acquiring an air of evil as it echoed through the little farmhouse. No one heading to that place ever returned.   
  
"What are we going to do, Papa?" Dylan asked. He understood the gravity of the situation; long ago, caravans brought prisoners to Altin much more frequently. Though Garet and Mia had tried to keep the children in the dark about goings on at the castle, it was impossible to grow up in a world such as this and not know what happened to prisoners at the Mines.   
  
"We can't leave them," Garet said, coming to a decision. "If my brother's still alive, I have to try and rescue him. And Isaac and Ivan need help, too. It's not their fault they were drawn into this place." Even as he said this, another, perhaps more powerful reason for his attempting to help the three prisoners remained unspoken. He had been unable to save Ivan's life before. Now, he might have a chance for redemption, even if this Ivan was not the same he had known. He was still Ivan, and Garet did not want him to die a second time.   
  
"Surely, you're not going to try and rescue them from Altin on your own!" Mia exclaimed. She, too, had no wish for the three to be trapped in the mines for the rest of their lives, but she could not see how she and Garet could help. They were powerless against Isaac's army, and furthermore, they had Gregory, Rose and Dylan to think of.  
  
"I wasn't planning on going alone," said Garet, grimly. "Mia, it's time we left this place."   
  
"What?" Mia's eyes widened. "You mean, leave the farm? Where would we go? How would we go? The children-"   
  
"--Are old enough to travel now," Garet finished. "We can sneak out tonight; head down south to Lalivero and meet up with Felix and Jenna. With their help, and maybe a boat, we can rescue Bernard, Isaac and Ivan from the mines. At the very least, we'll be away from the castle and safe."   
  
_Safe_... it was a world Mia had not heard used in a long time. Too long, in fact. She tried to imagine a world without danger, without firestorms, burnt fields, and ravaging monsters; without pain or the worry that you would not awaken in the morning- or that you would awaken, in a dungeon. A world with green fields and blue skies and the golden sun. A world at peace. Mia tried to remember how things were before, and with a pang of despair, she realized she could not. It was as if a wall had been erected in her mind, reducing the thought of a safe world to a myth and a dream.   
  
"Mia? What do you say?"  
  
Garet's voice snapped the Mercury Adept out of her reverie. "But what about the guards at the castle?" she said, halfheartedly. The prospect of living among unburned fields and away from the oppressive atmosphere of the castle, although ludicrous to her mind, was very tempting.   
  
"We'll leave just after sunset, so the monsters won't be out yet. We should be able to cross the river and get past Kalay before sunrise, and then we shouldn't have any difficulties rounding Tolbi and crossing into Gondowan. Isaac doesn't have much influence once you reach the other side of the Karagol."   
  
"But he's certain to have checkpoints on Silk Road!"   
  
"Then we'll use the cave. There has to be some way to get through. If worse comes to worse, we can fight."   
  
"I hope it doesn't come to that, Garet. But, if you're certain that we'll make it-"   
  
"Nothing's certain, Mia. But we do stand a very good chance."   
  
"All right," Mia sighed. "I don't want anything to happen to Bernard, either. Let's go."   
  
Garet nodded, and silently began to pack.   
  
  


------------------------------------------  
  
  
  


Nighttime fell once more over the barren and ruined land of Angara, the sunset turning the sky blood red as it always did. This time, however, it was a welcome sight to the occupants of the farmhouse. They waited in silence for the sun to set, carrying a few bags full of their meager possessions.   
  
"What about the sheep, Daddy?" Gregory whispered. Although there was no one around to hear their voices, the entire family had reverted to talking in low tones.   
  
"They'll be all right on their own," Garet said with a conviction he did not feel. More than likely, they would eventually wander away and become a soldier's dinner.   
  
Slowly, the glowing orb of the sun sank beneath the horizon, and the sky darkened from red, to purple, to black. Now was the time.   
  
"Let's go, everyone," Garet said, taking Gregory's hand. "We don't want to meet any monsters if we don't have to."   
  
The family started on their journey in silence, hoping and praying they could reach Lalivero in safety.   
  


----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
  
  


Well, it's kinda short, but I wanted to get it posted before TLA comes out and I have no time to write. So, goodbye for now, and don't expect any more updates until I've beaten the Lost Age, which may be a very long time...   
  
Sheba: [typing] _That's her way of saying she stinks at video games._   
  
I do not!  
  
Sheba: [typing] _Oh, come on. The only RPG you've ever beaten without a walkthrough is 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'._  
  
Y'know, now that I think about it, that really is kind of sad...  
  
Sheba: [typing]_ More than 'kind of'._  
  
Oh, well, this time, I'm not going to look at a walkthrough! Really! I shall beat TLA on the basis of my own brains and ingenuity, without help from outsiders! [runs off to stand in front of the local Best Buy until TLA arrives]  
  
Sheba: [typing]_ I'll bet a hundred coins that resolution won't last very long..._   
  



	9. An Indran Interlude

Chapter 9 is here, and it didn't take me weeks to update, either! And I even managed to beat TLA without cheating, too! Go me! [does a little happy dance]  
  
Sheba: [typing] _See, if you just sit down and play instead of running to a walkthrough every time you get the least bit stumped, it's much more fun!_  
  
Oh, and you owe me a hundred coins, Sheba. [hold out hand]  
  
Sheba: [typing] _No, I don't._  
  
But you bet 100 coins that I wouldn't be able to beat TLA without cheating, and I did! So hand over the money!  
  
Sheba: [typing] _We never shook on it. And anyway. I'm still mad at you because you used Ivan in the final boss battle instead of me :(_  
  
Well, of course I used Ivan! You're like, the weakest character in the entire ga-[storm clouds gather overhead] Eep.  
  
Sheba: [typing and looking threatening] _I man be weaker than the others are, but I'm way more powerful than YOU, author girl!_  
  
Erm, you do have a point there. ...Let's begin the chapter, shall we?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun.   
  
[A.N: Just so you're warned, I've incorporated some elements from the Lost Age in this chapter, so if you haven't at least gotten "Piers" in your party yet, there might be some spoilers!]  
  


----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 9- An Indran Interlude   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Night fell, and Isaac and his companions were still rumbling along in the carts. Isaac leaned against the bars, pondering their options in his mind. What were they going to do? There didn't seem to be any way to escape the cart, and from what Bernard had told him, prospects of escape after reaching Altin weren't too good. He also wondered how to explain his situation to Garet and Mia back in the real world. Last time he had seen them, after being knocked out by the other Isaac's guards, he had refrained from telling them he had been captured, instead choosing to merely inform them of his success in meeting Kraden. Now, however, it looked like they were going to be prisoners for a long time, and he felt it best to advise his friends of the entire situation.  
  
Isaac felt his eyelids growing heavy as he listened to the rustling of monsters in the brush alongside the road and the rhythmic 'clip, clop' of the donkey's hooves. Sleep would be coming soon, he realized, and he still had no idea what he was going to tell the others, or what, if anything, they could do about it. The worst thing was that any delay in this world meant a delay in the other, as Ivan was still unconscious and unable to fight. And on a quest such as theirs, when time was of the essence in order to catch up with Felix and his band, even a day's delay could mean disaster.  
  
"Good morning, Isaac, I hope," came Mia's voice from somewhere above him.  
  
"Mmm..." the Venus Adept muttered in reply. He was back in the real world already... Although his body felt rested as if he had gotten a night's sleep, his mind was very weary from the constant awareness it had had to keep over the past few days. He would do anything to be allowed even just a few hours of peaceful unconsciousness, without having to worry about events in either world. But that was not to be. Until he was able to stop the other Isaac, his nights would never be quiet.  
  
"So, what's new in the other world, Isaac?" asked Garet. Isaac sat up and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Nothing good," he answered. "We've been captured."  
  
"You're right, that isn't good," said Mia in alarm. "What happened?"  
  
Isaac quickly filled the pair in on the events of the previous day. When he had finished, Garet looked worried.  
  
"Altin a prison camp? That sounds bad, Isaac."  
  
Mia scowled. "Why didn't you tell us this yesterday?"  
  
"I didn't want to worry you," Isaac answered. "Besides, I didn't know if we were going to be able to escape or not then."  
  
"Well, don't do it again," Mia said. "If you're in some dangerous situation, we need to know about it, Isaac!"  
  
"Why? It's not like there's anything we can do," Garet pointed out.  
  
"It's the principle of the thing!" Mia said, angrily. "What if Isaac dies in the other world, or is badly injured? We don't know what will happen!"  
  
Isaac raised a hand, and Mia quieted down. "All right, all right, Mia. I'll tell you everything that happens from now on. OK?"  
  
Mia nodded, though Isaac could plainly see she was still worried about him.  
  
"So, are we going to head out now?" Garet asked, picking up his knapsack. "That farmer we met yesterday said there's a big town only an hour or two away in that direction. What did he call it? Midra or Madran or something?"  
  
"Madra," said Isaac absently, his mind still thinking upon the events in the other world.   
  
"Right," said Mia. "Maybe we should stay there for a while? Until Ivan... recovers?"   
  
"I don't know," Isaac answered. "After yesterday, I'm not sure he'll be waking up anytime soon." _If at all..._ he thought, but kept that to himself.  
  
"Well, at the very least we should get some supplies," Mia said, glaring at Garet. "A certain Mars Adept has eaten all of our old ones."  
  
"Hey, I was hungry!" Garet protested. "It takes a lot of food to keep me in good condition!"  
  
Isaac watched his two friends bicker good-naturedly as he helped to pack up the camp. He still marveled on how different this Garet and Mia were from their counterparts in the other world. Isaac himself could not even think of joking at the moment. His mind was too full of serious matters for joviality. At one time, Isaac would have joined right in with his friend's banter, but his experiences in the other universe had changed that. A prickle of fear ran down his spine as he wondered just how different he had become. That thought scared him, so he pushed it to the corner of his mind and, to distract himself as much as to end the argument between his comrades-in-arms, asked, "All right, are we ready to move out?"  
  
"But we haven't had breakfast yet!" Garet complained, his stomach giving a very audible growl.  
  
"I don't think we have any food left for breakfast, thanks to you, Garet!" Mia muttered, shouldering her healer's bag and carefully putting out the fire with Douse.  
  
"Here, Gar'," Isaac said, offering his friend a biscuit from his backpack. "That should last 'till we get to Madra. Then we can have a real breakfast."  
  
Garet's face lit up at the thought of a hot meal at the village inn. "You're on, Isaac. I can just smell the bacon and toast now..."  
  
Mia shook her head and retrieved up her mace from where she had leaned it against a tree the previous night. "We'd better make sure we've got a lot of coins handy, Isaac." she whispered, as Garet picked up Ivan and the company set out. "Garet looks extra hungry today, and that's sure to be expensive."  
  
"When is he _not_ extra hungry?" Isaac muttered back, his boots once again trodding a path towards a new city, as he had done on many days since the Elemental Stars were stolen from Sol Sanctum. The difference was, this time, he had two quests to worry about.  
  
  
  


------  
  
  


"Halt! Who wishes to enter Madra?"   
  
Isaac sighed inwardly as he surveyed the twins standing guard before the city gates. Being halted by these villagers was the last thing he needed right now. He had joined Garet in becoming very hungry in the hour it had taken to reach Madra, and all he wanted to do at the moment was find the inn and eat.  
  
"It's all right, George, they don't look like Kibombo," said the twin who hadn't challenged the travelers. "Nor Champa, neither."  
  
"You're right, Bill," his brother replied. "Don't look like nothing but travelers. Sorry to bother you."  
  
"We've had lots of strange things happening lately," said Bill apologetically, "and they've made us stand guard. First tidal waves, then pirates, then savages... What next? Sea monsters?"  
  
"Or Poseidon himself," joked George. "Sorry to make you wait, young'ns." He moved aside, allowing Isaac and his companions to enter.  
  
"It's all right," Isaac said, wearily. "Could you direct us to the inn?"  
  
"Straight up that hill. You can't miss it."  
  
"Thank you." Isaac nodded politely to the two men, then headed in the direction they had indicated.  
  
"Great Elementals, what happened to that'un?" George gasped, noticing Garet carrying Ivan's motionless body.  
  
Isaac froze for a moment, unable to think of how to explain Ivan's situation to the villagers. Fortunately for him, Mia cut in smoothly. "He's just tired after walking so long. He'll be all right in a while."   
  
"...All right, I suppose you know your business better than we do," Bill said, eyeing Ivan worriedly. "Go ahead through..."  
  
Isaac and the others did so as quickly as possible, aware of the stares of the twins on their receding backs.  
  
  
  


------  
  
  
  


A half hour later, Isaac sat in the inn's main room, sipping a cup of fresh Masala tea while watching Garet wolf down his fourth serving of bacon. "Haven't you had enough yet, Garet?" he asked, amused. Garet merely shook his head, unwilling to leave off eating for the second it would take to answer his friend's query.  
  
Mia stifled a giggle. "Garet, you are such a pig." Garet gave her a hurt expression, which was hard to do as his face was in his food the entire time.  
  
"Anyone for more tea?" the innkeeper's wife asked, bringing around a full pot. Isaac and Mia held out their cups and the lady began to fill them. "You've got blue hair, I see," the woman remarked, noticing Mia's cerulean locks. "That's fairly uncommon around these parts. You come from far off?"  
  
Mia nodded. "We sailed here from Angara."   
  
"Angara? My, that is a ways away. Never met anyone from there before myself, unless you count those Champa. And I don't really think their attacking our town counts as meeting them."  
  
"We heard the gate guards mention the Champa as well," Isaac said. "Who are they?"  
  
"The Champa are pirates." the woman replied, handing Isaac back his teacup. "They attacked our town a short time ago, and after that, the Kibombo from Gondowan attacked us, too. It's been a rough time for us, ever since that tidal wave knocked the continents together. We've seen many strangers since then, not including yourselves. There was that Picard fellow a while back, and then those three kids and their grandpa, and then that freaky lady with the red hair... Yes, lots of strange people." The lady peered at Mia closely. "You don't by any chance know Picard, do you?"  
  
Mia shook her head. "I don't think so... Why?"  
  
"It's just that, he had blue hair, too, and a ship that looks very much like the one that landed nearby a few days ago. That was yours, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes," said Isaac, intrigued. "You say this Picard had a ship like ours? And blue hair?"  
  
"You can bet on that," the lady answered. "We even took him to be a Champa for a while, because of his ship. But then they caught the real pirates, and he went free." The woman leaned in closer and said in a low, conspiratorial voice, "But that's not all that's strange about Picard." She glanced around the inn, and saw that no one else was listening to the conversation. "I heard, from one of the guards down at the jail, that Picard can turn water into _ice_. Just by looking at it! Isn't that strange or what?"  
  
Isaac froze. Turn water into ice? That sounded like--  
  
"Isaac! That sounds like Psynergy, doesn't it?" Garet said, in what he evidently thought was a whisper but actually was much louder. The innkeeper's wife, at least, could hear it.  
  
"Psynergy? What's that?" she asked.   
  
_Oh, dear._ Isaac thought. Garet had done it this time. The Mars Adept evidently didn't realize his mistake until he caught Mia glaring at him across the table.  
  
"Psynergy is... um..." Isaac stammered. It was against the laws of Vale to speak of Psynergy to outsiders, and now... but if they had already seen someone else use it... What was he going to do? "...It's a power, when you focus your mind... Some people can use it to turn water into ice and stuff like that."  
  
"Really? That's amazing!" the woman said. "That would be a really useful power to have, wouldn't it?"  
  
"Yes, it would..." said Mia, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.  
  
"So where did this Picard fellow go?" Isaac asked, trying to get off the subject of Psynergy.  
  
"Into Central Gondowan, I believe... after his name was cleared, the Kibombo attacked and stole something of his. A black jewel, I think. Funny, those three kids and their grandpa asked me the same thing. Seemed very interested in Picard, they did."  
  
Isaac nodded. If this Picard had a ship like theirs, he already thought he had an idea of what the 'black jewel' was. But as for the three kids and their grandpa... The lady had mentioned them twice. Who could they be, and why were they interested in an Adept? _Three kids and... Wait a minute!_ Isaac asked quickly, "What did these people you speak of look like?"  
  
"Um, there was an elderly gentleman with glasses and a brown cloak on..." The woman paused to think. "and a little girl with blonde hair... then a boy around your age, I think, with brown hair and a sword... and a girl with red hair. All very strange travelers. Some even said it was them who defeated the pirates, though I doubt it. They didn't look like much of warriors."  
  
"Jenna..." Garet whispered, quieter this time.  
  
"And Kraden, Sheba, and Felix," Isaac finished.  
  
"Do you know those people?" the innkeeper's wife asked.  
  
"Maybe..." Isaac said evasively. "Thank you for the information."   
  
"Oh, it was no trouble." The lady walked off, glancing over her shoulder at their table as she did. No doubt, rumors about the strange travelers and their Psynergy would be all over town by the next day.  
  
"Garet--" Mia began.  
  
"I know, I know." Garet said. " 'Stop revealing important information to the random villagers.' I'm sorry, Mia. I won't do it again."  
  
"It's all right, Garet." said Isaac, mulling over the new information. "So Felix was here..."  
  
"And so was this Picard guy, who's obviously a Water Adept." said Garet.  
  
"What should we do?" Mia asked.  
  
Isaac thought for a moment. "I think we should follow them. By sea, of course; we wouldn't want to leave the ship lying around and I don't really want to trek overland carrying Ivan. If we can head off Felix here, maybe we can get the Jupiter Star from him and rescue the others."  
  
"It's also possible, Isaac," said Mia, "that the Wise One also told Kraden something about the other universe. I mean, he told his alternate self. And even if he didn't, Kraden might be able to help somehow."  
  
"Yeah." said Garet. "He knows more about Alchemy than any other person alive. If anyone can help you and Ivan, he can."  
  
"Right." said Isaac. "That's a plan, then. Well, should we spend the night here and head back to the ship tomorrow? Now that we know the way, it shouldn't take so long."  
  
Mia and Garet both nodded, and after Garet wolfed down the last of his bacon, the three left the inn to explore the town and learn whatever else they could about this strange, new land.  
  
  
  
  
  


----------------------------------------------------------------  
  


  
Well, that's another chapter down. However, before you go off on your merry little reviewing way, I have a few important questions to address and ask. First, some Author's Notes...  
  
Midnight C- Don't worry about Sheba, she's there, with Jenna and Felix. I'd never forget her... she'd kill me if I did.  
  
Sheba: [typing] _Darn right I would!_  
  
Snoopy- Has anyone ever told you you're obsessed with the Lord of the Rings? (Not that that's a bad thing!) I would never have noticed that if you hadn't said anything... I though it might have been something Ivan said about Alchemy, but I never realized about the 'enemy of the free peoples of the world'... You and Isaac should start a Lord of the Rings fan club or something...  
  
Isaac: Yesss, preciousssss....  
  
Jupiter Girl- Yes, I had that problem, too. It was very confusing. The only way I realized it had worked was because I had changed the window color to purple and it transferred that right.  
  
Ice Princess- (Is that what you want to be called?) Thanks for pointing out the misspelled words. I was experimenting with the HTML coding and every time I used Spell Check it messed up all the codes, so I was trying to proofread by hand... But you'll be happy to know that I read over this chapter three times and it is ebntirely eerror fre!  
  
Now for the questions, O wonderful reviewers- first and most importantly, Picard or Piers? I know many of you are very passionate about this subject. Personally, I don't mind either way, so I'll leave it up to you to decide his fate...  
Second, is it Master "Hama" or Master "Hamma"? Golden Sun and Golden Sun: TLA seem to be conflicting on the spelling of her name. I think that "Hama" is better myself, because otherwise, there'd be a "Hamma" and a "Hammet" and that gets rather confusing after a while, considering they're both close to Ivan.  
  
All right, you may continue with your reviewing now!   
  



	10. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Well, the Evil AP European History Test of Doom(tm) is over at last, so I can finally update... I apologize about the wait and everything...  
  
Oh, and the results of the poll are in, showing that Picard beat Piers 8-3. So from now on, he's Picard. For anyone who is angered by that, sorry...

----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 10- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot   
  
  


"Milord Isaac?"   
  
Isaac turned at the sound of a voice from behind him. "Yes, Iodem?" he asked.   
  
"Sir, we have received reports from our border guards near the Kalay river." Iodem answered, bowing to his lord. "They seem to think that someone managed to cross the river last night."  
  
"And why does it concern me that guards cannot do their jobs?" Isaac asked, turning around. His blue eyes were hardened with malice. "Have them all executed."  
  
"Of course, Milord, but the reports indicate that it was some Adepts who crossed. The guards were knocked out and there was a large quantity of ice and water puddles around."  
  
Isaac stared. Ice? That meant a Mercury Adept had tried to cross the river... Tried and succeeded, by the sound of the reports. Isaac mentally went over the names of all the Mercury Adepts he knew.... Alex... he would have no reason to attack the guards... Picard... no, he had disappeared long ago... and... Mia?  
  
"Is that all you have to tell me, Iodem?" Isaac asked sharply.  
  
"No, sir." Iodem paused, unsure of how to break the news to his master. "The village at the base of the mountain is empty."  
  
"I thought as much." Isaac said, his eyes darkening even more. He should have expected this... Garet and Mia would try to escape eventually, it was not in their nature to submit quietly for too long. Isaac thought it strange, now, that the pair had not attempted to escape sooner. Oh, well. What is done is done. They were gone now, and something had to be done about it. Isaac's face contorted into a grim smile. "Find them." he ordered. "Alive if you can, but if not- you know what to do."  
  
"Yes, Milord." Iodem bowed again, and left the room.  
  
Isaac watched him leave with a calculating gaze. Iodem was an extremely ambitious man. Valuable, but extremely ambitious. He had been the second in command to Babi, but after his death and the destruction of Tolbi, he had realized that the only way to gain power in this new world was to work for the one who held it, namely, Isaac. So Iodem had come to the Black Castle and had quickly become Isaac's second in command. Not that Isaac trusted Iodem. On the contrary, Isaac trusted no one but himself. All the others were just jealous of his power and wished it for themselves- even Iodem. Isaac knew that some day, Iodem would have to be taken care of, but for now, he was useful to Isaac, so he let him live.   
  
No, he could trust no one but himself. Most of his soldiers were only hanging around because the pay was good and they were too afraid of Isaac to leave. Others hoped to gain a bit of his power. It seemed most everyone in Angara was after his power, as was demonstrated by the capture yesterday of some spies, one of whom was made up to look like him. Isaac thought back to the day before, remembering how his guards had subdued the imposter and his accomplice, a young blonde haired boy, as well as a prisoner they were trying to break out. Of course, they were all shipped off to Altin as soon as possible. However, even now, Isaac still had a nagging feeling that he had seen the blonde-haired boy before... Well, it was of no consequence. They were in Altin now, and he doubted they would survive very long. It served them right for plotting against him. No one in Angara had a chance of going up against him, not now that he held the power of Alchemy. There was nothing stopping him from doing anything he wanted.   
  
After all, he was supreme.  
  


-----------------------------------------------------------------  


"Wake up, Isaac, we're almost there..."  
  
"Mmmm..." Isaac mumbled, not wanting to get up. The bumping of the cart told him that he was back in the other world once more, en route to the terrifying Mines of Altin that Bernard had painted such a delightful picture of. Upon opening his eyes. Isaac saw that they were rumbling over Silk Road, approaching the pass that would take them into the town.  
  
"Good, you're awake." Ivan said, smiling halfheartedly. Isaac returned his gesture, feeling sorry for the young Wind Adept. While he had been able to return, albeit briefly, to his own universe, Ivan had been stuck in the cart all night. The whole situation was terrible, but it must be even more so for Ivan, as he was completely cut off from events in the real world.   
  
"Altin is just around this bend." Bernard rumbled from opposite the Jupiter Adept. The early morning light streamed across his face, giving him a dark, foreboding look. "We heard the drivers talking."  
  
Isaac nodded. "I know... I've been to Altin. Or at least, to what Altin used to be."  
  
Bernard shook his head. "I wouldn't know, I've never been out of the Vale area before..."  
  
Ivan shifted his position slightly against the cart's side. "Altin used to be a nice place..." he said. "A bit wet, at least when we saw it, but nice."   
  
Further conversation was halted by the carts rattling around a bend. Swinging out beyond the mountain range, Altin's valley came into sight. Isaac remembered it as being green and luscious, covered with trees and fields that fed the village, and it still was, to some extent. The fields were still there, with tiny figures slaving away in them, but the forests were all gone. In their place were strange boxy buildings billowing think black smoke skyward. The town itself had grown somewhat, with several long buildings that looked like they might be prisoner's quarters grouped around the foot of the mountain. The entire factory and town complex was surrounded by a high wooden fence. Several guard towers jutted out among the buildings, with gold-armored soldiers just visible at their tops. Isaac supposed they were armed with some sort of range weapon to keep prisoners at bay.   
  
The cart approached the town's heavy wooden gates, passing teams of laborers in the fields as it did so. They looked up slightly upon passing, but soon returned to their work. Isaac noticed that they were all wearing chains connecting them together.   
  
"Slaves..." Bernard muttered. "Like we will be, soon."   
  
Isaac looked at him. He couldn't remember Bernard ever talking like that when he had known him back in Vale. But then again, it wasn't as if he talked to Bernard much. He was just Garet's stupid little brother, always getting in the way of whatever they were planning.   
  
"Are you always this pessimistic?" Ivan asked, voicing the very question Isaac had been wondering about.   
  
"You would be too if you were overshadowed by your older brother for your entire childhood, then tossed into a dungeon and forgotten about for four years."   
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ivan said. "But at least you have a brother. I don't have any family at all."   
  
"None?" Bernard questioned, looking at the Jupiter Adept in surprise.   
  
"That I know of. I was raised by Master Hammet in Kalay." His eyes turned misty and faraway. "That seems so long ago, now, but it was actually only a few months ago. I was very insecure then- still am, I guess- because nobody really liked me. I was the only Adept in the entire city, you see, and everybody thought, I was, well, strange. And I also was very paranoid. I always thought everybody hated me. Trouble was, I was usually right."   
  
"How could anybody hate you, Ivan?" Isaac asked, shocked. He hadn't realized his friend had had such a difficult time growing up. Ivan certainly hadn't acted like anything was wrong when they had returned to Kalay.   
  
" 'Cause I'm different." he answered, looking down at his knees. "Oh, the adults were OK, but the kids... Nobody wants to be friends with someone who can see their innermost secrets whenever he feels like it." He looked up and stared into Isaac's eyes for a moment. "You, Garet, and Mia are the only friends I've ever had." he said softly.   
  
Isaac didn't know what to answer to that. He had always had plenty of friends growing up in Vale. Garet, Jenna, and Felix had been the closest, but he had been acquainted with most everybody else in the little village. But Ivan, having no friends at all... No wonder he had looked so dejected when they had first met him in Vault. Master Hammet had most likely been the only person who paid any attention to Ivan, and he had left him behind. The Jupiter Adept probably felt like he was being abandoned.   
  
The cart halted before Altin's gates, waiting for them to open. Two guards stationed on either side of the entryway hurried forwards, taking hold of the iron handles and puling them outwards. They seemed to be built to lock on the outside, not the inside. They were not meant to keep anybody out, only to keep prisoners in. The driver shouted something and cracked his whip, and the donkey pulling the cart started up again. Lurching over the uneven ground, the vehicle rattled through the open portal and into Altin, the heavy wooden gates slamming shut behind it. They had entered Altin, and there was no longer any way out.   
  
Isaac peered through the semitransparent metal walls at the town. The streets were bare and dusty. The only activity seemed to be coming from the mine at the end of the avenue, where rows of chained workers could be seen carrying loads of rock out of the mine. Every now and then, minecarts would emerge on the tracks from out the mine, and more prisoners would wheel their contents away. Gold armored overseers made sure their progress was going satisfactorily. A cluster of barracks and buildings stood along this main road, arranged in a half-circle around a large open area. The layout looked pretty much the way Isaac had expected, drab, dusty, uninviting. But it was the object at the center of the square that really struck fear into his heart.   
  
A wooden scaffold was constructed in the center of the dirt circle. On top was a wooden framework, with a sharp, grim triangular blade hanging from it. Both the wood of the scaffold and the metal of the blade were stained red with dried blood.   
  
"What is _that_?" Isaac gasped, eyeing the thing in horror.   
  
"It's a guillotine." Bernard answered nonchalantly. "They use it to chop your head off."   
  
"Very pleasant mental image there, Bernard." Ivan gulped, averting his eyes from the deadly blade. "I don't think I needed to think about that."   
  
Bernard shrugged. "Hey, it's the truth..."   
  
Isaac tried not to imagine what it must feel like to be underneath that blade as the cart turned and halted before a low building. Several guards appeared and opened a door on the side of their cage, hauling the three prisoners out one by one.   
  
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"   
  
A man, wearing a gold colored uniform and an armband with the insignia of an sword emblazoned on it stepped forward. Isaac supposed it was the other Isaac's symbol because he remembered seeing it on the walls in various places in the castle. One of the cart drivers came forward and whispered something to the uniformed man, who nodded. Then, he began to walk around and around the three Adepts, who were being closely guarded by several guards with drawn swords. Finally, he stopped before Isaac.   
  
"What is your name?" he asked. He held a short, metal tipped stick in one hand, and he tapped it impatiently against his thigh as he spoke.   
  
"Isaac." Isaac answered simply.   
  
The man hit him in the face. "Your real name!" he barked, glaring at the Venus Adept.   
  
Isaac remained unwavering, although his face throbbed from where he had been hit. "It's Isaac." he said, bracing himself. As he had anticipated, the uniformed man hit him again, harder this time.   
  
"I am General Anstolm, the commander of this installation!" he spat, bringing up the stick and waving it in Isaac's face. Isaac stared back unwaveringly. "When I ask you a question, you answer me! What is your name?"   
  
"Isaac!" Isaac repeated. The man looked as if he was going to hit him a third time, but stopped.   
  
"I have no more time to waste." he said, turning away. "Captain, take them away to be processed. And see to it that this one," he indicated Isaac, "is given extra work for his cheek."   
  
One of the gold armored guards saluted. "Yes, General!" He motioned to his fellow guards. "Come!"   
  
The guards behind the three Adepts prodded them with their swords, ushering them towards another building. Once inside, they were quickly taken charge of by an grumpy looking man with a drooping mustache.   
  
"This 'ere's yer uniform." He growled, throwing each Adept a pair of plain work clothes. After they had changed into them, he brought out three iron hoops. Handing them to a guard, they were fastened around the prisoner's necks and locked shut. As soon as the metal clamped tight around his neck, Isaac felt his Psynergy drain away. He almost panicked, unable to feel its familiar presence in the back of his mind, but willed himself to remain calm. Beside him, he could tell that Ivan was feeling uncomfortable, too. The Jupiter adept was fidgeting nervously.   
  
"An' those are t' dampen yer Psynergy." said the mustached man, with an evil grin. "Don't try t' cast any powerful spells, now, it won't work. An' if we catch you usin' any Psynergy wivvout permission, it'll be the worse fer you."   
  
He caught Ivan's strange look. "Ah, yer wonderin' how we knew you were Adepts, hmm?" he asked. When Ivan didn't answer, he continued anyway. "Simple- they would've used the regular cart if you weren't. The Lemurian steel one's only for Adepts."   
  
He turned to a small table and picked up a clipboard. "Now, what element are you? Tell the truth, now, if you're lying we'll find out eventually."   
  
Isaac glanced at the others, who nodded. "I'm Venus," he said.   
  
"I'm Jupiter." Ivan said, nervously.   
  
"And I am Mars." rumbled Bernard.   
  
The man wrote something down on the clipboard. "All right, then," he said, grinning evilly again. "You, Venus Adept," he said, pointing to Isaac, "go to mine shaft C. You," he pointed to Bernard, "go to the forge. We need Mars Adepts there. And the scrawny one," Ivan looked indignant, "go to the fields. Yeah, we're separatin' you." he continued, seeing their shocked looks. "Wouldn't want you t' be together and plan anythin', now would we?" He turned to the guards. "Go on, get them out of here."   
  
The guards prodded Isaac and the others out the door again. As the were ushered outside and away to their separate locations, Isaac leaned over to Ivan and whispered, "Don't worry. Everything will turn out all right."   
  
"Get goin' there!" one of the guards shouted, prodding Isaac in the back. Ivan gave him a smile and nodded, and then he was gone, taken away to whatever fate was in store for him. Silently, as was hurried along by the guards, Isaac wondered if he would ever see him again.   
  


------------------------------------------  


Garet was not having a good day.  
  
First, there had been those guards at the river, which Mia had taken care of, but not without leaving a large amount of evidence of their passing in the progress. Now, they were facing more difficulties in the form of a horde of Undead and Death Caps, which had appeared seemingly out of nowhere as they were heading towards the Kalay Docks.   
  
"Take that!" Garet said triumphantly, slaying yet another mushroom with a vertical slash of his sword. As soon as it fell, however, two more hopped up to take its place.  
  
"Oh, no." Garet groaned. "Mia, some help here, please?"  
  
"I'm a little busy right now!" Mia answered irritatedly, trying to shake an Undead off the end of her staff. Dylan, Rose, and Gregory cowered between their two battling parents, watching the conflict with wide eyes.  
  
"Oh, to heck with it." Garet grumbled. "Pyroclasm!"  
  
The ground all around his family erupted into flames, consuming the monsters' putrid flesh with a burning inferno. Garet dropped to his knees, watching as the flames burnt themselves out, taking the monsters with it.  
  
"Garet!" Mia said worriedly, coming over to him. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." he said, shaking his head and breathing heavily. "Just out of practice, is all. Pyroclasm didn't used to take up so much of my energy."  
  
Mia helped him to his feet. The children stood up as well, and Garet ruffled Dylan's hair affectionately.  
  
"It's all right, kids, the monsters are gone now." he said, wiping mushroom ooze from his sword on one of the fallen Undead carcasses and sheathing the weapon.  
  
"Where to now, Garet?" Mia asked, picking up Rose and holding the little girl with one arm, using the other to keep her staff at the ready in case of another surprise attack.  
  
"Well, we need to get to Gondowan." Garet said. "Silk Road was too heavily guarded, so the only remaining option is to use the Gondowan Cave."  
  
"Are you sure we'll be able to get through there?" Mia asked. "If we had so much trouble with just a few mushrooms, we might not be able to handle the monsters there."  
  
"Mia, we'll be all right." Garet replied, with a confidence he did not feel. "Besides, what else are we going to do? Go back? They'll have found the guards and be searching for us by now. We can't go back, we can only go forward."  
  
"I wasn't suggesting we go back." Mia said indignantly.  
  
"Then let's go." Garet said, taking Gregory's hand. "Come on, Gregory, Dylan, we have a lot of ground to cover."  
  
And so, the family set off again, leaving behind them only a charred ring of earth and the bodies of several monsters to mark their passing. 

------------------------------------------

  
_These people don't believe in wasting time, do they?_ Ivan thought, as he hacked away at a weed with his hoe. The overseers at the fields had put him to work immediately, attacking him to one of the chain gangs he had seen earlier. It was about five in the afternoon, judging by the position of the sun in the sky, and Ivan was tired, hot, and thirsty after working all day long. He didn't dare stop, however, because a guard was walking up and down a few feet away, making sure that no one slacked off. He held a whip in one hand, showing that he had the power to enforce his will on the prisoners.

Ivan waited until the guard had walked off to another part of the field, then he stopped for a brief moment, catching his breath. He hadn't worked so hard in his entire life. Sure, he had fought in many battles since joining up with Isaac and the others, but that was a different kind of work. In battle, he relied on adrenaline and his reflexes to keep him one step ahead of the enemy. His strength was in his Psynergy spells, not his muscles. Although he was considerably stronger now than when he first started out on the quest, after laboring for hours in the hot sun he was dead tired. Sweat streamed down his forehead and into his eyes, then continuing down his neck and between the iron collar and his skin. He rubbed his finger underneath the offending metal circle, trying to loosen the stickiness, but there was no help for it. The collar remained just as annoying as before.

Sensing the guard was turning back towards him, Ivan bent quickly back to his hoeing. The collar did not completely block his Jupiter Psynergy, for which he was grateful. It seemed merely to dampen his skills, keeping him from using his full range of abilities. Ivan wondered just how much the collar affected his Psynergy, but now was not the time or place for experimenting. He hacked up yet another weed before moving on to the next one.  
  
A bell sounded, and immediately all the prisoners ahead of Ivan began to hurry towards the gates of the town. Ivan was dragged along behind them on the chain for a few moments before he realized what was happening and began running after them. The bell was apparently a signal to return to camp, because the overseers were coming along behind to make sure no one tried to run off and the main gates were flung wide open. Already, several groups of prisoners had entered the compound. 

Ivan and his group reached the gates not long afterwards, and headed to the side where a guard removed the running chain. Free from their restrictive bonds, the prisoners milled about in front of a long, low building. Ivan soon became lost and confused amid a sea of people, who all seemed to be much older than him.  
  
Ivan scanned the crowd for Isaac and Bernard, wondering if they, too, were finished with work for the day, or if they got off at a different time. However, there was no sign of a spiky-haired blonde or a tall redhead anywhere. Ivan was alone, one little Jupiter Adept in a sea of strangers.   
  
The crowd suddenly began pushing forwards towards the building. Ivan saw that the doors were opened, so he supposed they must be trying to get inside. He guessed from the clamor of the crowd and the smells emanating from the structure that this must be the mess hall. As soon as he realized this, however, he was pushed along by the movement of the crowd, bushed against by the multitude of hungry workers trying to get inside all at once. He was much too small to fight against the pull of the crowd, he was shoved this way and that by the other prisoners. Stumbling, he fell into a man standing on his right.  
  
"Watch it, you little runt!" the man yelled, pushing Ivan backwards into another worker.   
  
"Sorry..." Ivan muttered, trying to regain his balance. The man didn't seem inclined to accept his apology, however. He grabbed the Adept by the front of his shirt. 

"Sorry?" the man sneered. "Is that all you can say? Sorry?" He threw Ivan down to the ground, where the boy narrowly missed being trampled by others in the crowd.

Ivan tried to get to his feet, only to be kicked down again. "A little runt like you needs to be taught his place!" the man said, kicking Ivan in his side. Ivan winced. _What does this guy have against me?_ he thought desperately. A ring of workers had formed around them now, eager to watch the fight. Long imprisonment turns some humans into animals, happy to watch others get hurt. Pain and death were a way of life here, nobody would be surprised or sad if this man killed the young Adept. They probably would just cheer, laugh, and walk away.

The man reached down and wrenched Ivan up again, holding him dangling over the ground. Ivan stared into his unwashed, unshaven face, fear beginning to creep up inside him. This man looked like he would have no qualms about pounding him into the ground right then and there.

"I don't like people pushing me." the man growled. He was big and tough; Ivan knew that without his Psynergy, he didn't stand a chance in a fight. He considered giving the man a small shock to make him let him go, but that might just provoke him more or catch the attention of the guards. But now his opportunity was over; the man threw him into the ring of spectators, who laughed at him and pushed him back into the circle of earth that had become an arena. Overbalanced, Ivan fell to the ground. There was no point in getting back up; they would only throw him down again, so he just lay there, trembling and waiting for the man to start attacking him again.

It did not take long. He advanced on Ivan, an angry light in his eyes. Ivan shut his eyes tight, sure he was about to be killed or at least seriously injured when-

"Leave him alone!"

A commanding female voice cut through the jeering voices of the spectators. Ivan opened one eye. From his position on the ground, he could see a pair of feet walk forward into the circle of earth.

"I said, leave him alone." the voice said again. Ivan wondered vaguely why it seemed familiar. "He didn't mean any harm."

"Who's gonna make me?" the man said.

As an answer, Ivan heard the unmistakable noise of a thunderbolt hitting the earth. The crowd gasped.

"All right, all right," The man said, scared now. "I didn't mean nothin'. Honest, lady!"

"Just get out of here." the voice said, coldly.

"Yes, right away, ma'am!" Ivan heard hurried footsteps as the man departed. The crowd, deprived of their entertainment, began to disperse as well.

"It's all right, he's gone now." came the voice again. It sounded much kinder this time. The voice's owner offered Ivan a hand, and he took it gratefully, climbing to his feet. 

"Thank you." he said, looking up into the face of his rescuer and blinked in surprise. She was of about average height, wearing plain work clothes like everyone else. However, she had bright purple hair that was tied back in a ponytail. Her face was lined, not by age, but by long years of sorrow. Ivan thought she was very familiar, although he could not quite place her...

"Ivan?!" the woman gasped, staring at him. Ivan jumped, startled.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

"Ivan! It is you! It is you!" the woman cried, pulling Ivan into a hug. Ivan was astonished, to say the least. A total stranger had just spontaneously decided to hug him. It was enough to make anybody nervous.

"I...I'm sorry.." he stammered, pulling away as gently as he could. He didn't want to upset the lady who had just saved his life, after all. "I don't know who you are."

"Don't you remember me?" she said, tears of joy streaming down her face. "It's me! Hama! Your sister!"

------------------------------------------

  
"We made it! We really made it!" Mia shouted, hugging Garet around the neck. They had managed to make it through the cave with a minimum of interruptions, only being ambushed by a pair of Rat Warriors once.   
  
"Yes, we made it. No could you stop choking me please?" he asked.   
  
"All right, is this better?" she asked, giving him a passionate kiss on the lips.   
  
"Ewww, Mommy, that's gross!" Dylan said, making a face. Gregory reacted in a similar fashion, bending over and pretending to be sick.  
  
"He got _your_ sense of humor." Mia said wryly to Garet, watching her youngest son's antics. "Well, I suppose they have a point..."  
  
"That kissing's gross?" Garet asked, confused.  
  
Mia rolled her eyes. "No, silly, that we need to get moving! We might have got beyond Isaac's reach, but it's still a long way to Lalivero, and there's lots of monsters around here."   
  
"_It's a long way, to Lalivero, it's a long way back home_..."Garet started singing. Mia whacked him gently with her staff. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For attracting every monster in miles with your voice." she responded. "C'mon. It's almost dusk, we've been walking for almost a full day. We need to find somewhere to camp."

The family trooped over the dusty plains, following an old path that hadn't been used since the destruction of Tolbi nearly five years before. It was overgrown with bushes, as this far from Mt. Aleph firestorms were much less common.  
  
"Look..." Garet said, his voice subdued. Ahead of them on the plain could be seen tall spires and fragments of rock, standing desolate amid a landscape strewn with debris. The fading sunset light streamed long shadows across the flat plain towards the little group of pilgrims, who stopped and walking and just looked for a moment. The monuments had been consumed by the waters if the Karagol several times, judging by the condition of the stones, and even now its shore lapped gently less than fifty yards away. Mia gripped her husband's shoulder tightly as she gazed on the ruins. This battered and broken wreckage was all that remained of the once-proud city of Tolbi.   
  
"Remember when we first came here?" Mia whispered.   
  
Garet nodded. "I wanted to fight in Colosso. I was so mad when only Isaac was allowed to ... but now, I guess, no one will ever fight in it again."

The two adepts stared sadly at a ring of crumbling stones, the last vestiges of the building that had been the pride and joy of its city.   
  
"Oh, well." Garet sighed, beginning to walk again. "What's gone is gone, I guess..."

They decided to make camp in a grove of trees a short distance from the ruins. Mia refused point blank when Garet suggested they camp in them.  
  
"No." she said. "That's a burial ground for too many people. Besides, what if the Karagol floods again? I don't want to add our names to the list of people who died here."   
  
"It won't flood, Mia." Garet said, but Mia's answer was final. So, they made camp in the trees, and Garet built a small fire and caught a few Mad Moles for their supper. Monster flesh wasn't the most appetizing meal, but they were used to it after surviving for so long in such a world and it was better than going hungry.   
  
The sun sank below the horizon and the stars came out, twinkling brightly against the black curtain of the night. Garet decided it was the perfect opportunity to take the children stargazing.

"Look!" he said, pointing upwards. The three children followed his gaze, staring at the tiny points of light high above. "There's the Great Djinn and the Little Djinn. Can you see them?"

"All I see are a bunch of dots." Gregory muttered, but Rose and Dylan nodded.

"And there's the Serpent..." Garet continued, pointing out another cluster of stars, "and the Ship..."

"Garet, the kids need to get to bed." Mia said, yawning. "We've been walking for a long time, and we've got longer to go..."

Suddenly, a strange, howling call rang out through the woods. It echoed through the trees and rebounded, magnifying the noise.

"What was that?" Mia asked, sitting up straight. Garet reached for his sword, which he had placed in handy reach against a nearby tree. Gregory and Dylan snatched up sticks from the firewood pile. Rose trembled, huddling up against her mother as the noise sounded again.

"It sounds like wolves!" Garet said, clutching his sword tightly.

"Normal wolves?" Mia asked. "Or monster ones?" Normal wolves would not be a danger, but monster ones..."

"Mia! Look out!" Garet shouted, as a black shape darted from the shadows and leapt upon the Mercury Adept. Mia gave a little cry of fear, rolling aside and snatching up her staff. The monstrous form landed where she had been and snarled, sending prickles of fear up the Adepts' spines. 

"It's a Fenrir!" shouted Garet, drawing his weapon.

"Get back, children!" cried Mia, snatching up Rose and backing away from the snarling wolf. The family moved towards the fire, which the animal seemed to dislike.

"What are Fenrirs doing all the way in Angara?" Mia asked, as four more of the monsters prowled out of the undergrowth and circled around the family's campsite.

"I don't know." Garet said, shaking his head. "But it's not looking good for us. They've got us outnumbered."

Mia placed Rose on the ground as close to the fire as she dared to, then raised her staff in both hands. "Bring it on." she muttered. "I'm not letting anything happen to my family."

The wolves, taking her challenge, rushed inwards. Immediately, four of them were hit by a fire attack from Garet, while the fifth was brained by Mia's weapon. They slunk backwards, momentarily driven back, circling in search of an opening.

"Mommy!" cried Gregory in fear as one of the wolves leapt upon her with lightning speed, its snapping jaws inches from her throat. She pushed upwards and outwards with her staff, thrusting the creature away from her. Unfortunately, the monster was much stronger than her and it took all of her strength just to keep the creature at bay.

"Mia! Hang on!" Garet cried, rushing to his wife's aid. However, his path was blocked by three of the monsters. Hacking away with Flare Wall, he felt his Psynergy rapidly diminishing. _I'm really out of shape..._ he thought. At one time, he could have downed a monster like this with two hits, but it was many years since he had practiced and now, when he needed to fight, he couldn't. _Stupid, stupid Garet!_ he admonished himself. His whole family was in danger now because he hadn't bothered to keep up with his Psynergy.

"Daddy!" came a scream. Garet whirled around. With horror, he realized that the fifth Fenrir had circled around and was now backing Dylan and Gregory into the fire. The little boys were much too small and frightened to do anything; the big wolf would massacre them. Distracted by the plight of his sons, Garet forgot about the three wolves he was fending off and rushed to their aid.

Big mistake.

As soon as his back was turned, one of the wolves jumped on him. Garet cried out in pain as its claws tore into his unprotected flesh, leaving a long angry red gash across the middle of his back from his shoulder to his hip. Garet collapsed to the ground, his sword spinning off in another direction. Mia, still immobilized by the Fenrir on top of her, could only watch as the other monsters advanced upon her fallen husband and frightened sons.

_Sorry... Mia..._ Garet thought, as his world was consumed by clouds of pain. He knew he must get up and help his family, but he couldn't seem to make his muscles obey him. The pain was too intense... He felt darkness beginning to creep across his vision. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a mouth full of glistening teeth, coming in for the kill...

----------------------------------------------------------------  
  


Yet another round of Author's Notes...  
  
Midnight C- You met Feizhi? In Champa?!? I didn't see her! [excitedly runs off to get GBA, but stops] Oh, wait a second... I didn't help Hsu in my game... I let him break his leg -_-; Whoops. Well, I guess I haven't missed much if the translators couldn't even get his name right...  
  
Seatbelts- I'm keeping Garet's little brother as Bernard for now, because 1. I don't know what the heck the Debug Room is and 2. Bernard is much funnier ^_^. Sorry about the Picrd/Piers thing, I can see where you're coming from but, well, the tribe has spoken!  
  
Snoopy- Actually, according to my name dictionary, Piers is 'an English variant form of Peter', which means he's not French... Hey, maybe we could just not call him Picard OR Piers and call him Peter instead! [receives glares from many, many other authors] ...Or not.  
  
Akiko- I have a theory concerning Picard, too, although it is of a different nature. I believe that Picard and Captain Picard from Star Trek are the same person! Hard to believe, you say? Impossible, you say? Well, I have spent a large amount of my precious free time researching this subject, which is, to say, I spent three minutes writing this after eating several chocolate chip cookies. After this painstaking and tedious process I have compiled this scientific list of conclusive evidence supporting my theory. The proof is as follows-

WHY CAPTAIN PICARD AND PICARD ARE THE SAME PERSON  
(Or at least closely related, or friends, or second cousins, or uncle's brother's teacher's sister's boyfriend's mother's grandfather's neighbor's roommates...)  
  


  
****

1. They have the same name. Duh.  
  
**2.** They are both "French" but don't have French accents.  
  
**3.** They both command ships.  
  
**4.** They were both captured (Captain Picard by the Borg and Picard by the evil random Madran villagers)  
  
**5.** They are both really, really old.  
  
**6.** They both wear stupid-looking outfits. At least in my opinion... [Gets beaten up by a horde of Picard-fanatics] Ouch...  
  
**7.** They both have annoying catch phrases (Captain Picard: Make it so. Picard: My name is not Piers!)  
  
**8.** Captain Picard is old-looking and bald. Picard is young-looking and has blue hair. They look nothing alike, so logically, they must be the same person.  
  
**9.** The actor who plays Captain Picard also plays Professor X in "X-Men". The X-Men have strange powers. Psynergy is a strange power. Picard can use Psynergy. Therefore, Picard and Captain Picard are the same person.  
  
**10.** Um, I can't think of any more... must go eat more cookies!  
  
  
So what has this list proved, you ask? One thing for certain: It would have been a heck of a lot easier to beat the Doom Dragon if Picard just had the _Enterprise_ shoot it from orbit ;)   
  
(And don't worry, I don't REALLY believe they're the same person.   
  
  
  
  
Much.) 


	11. The Great Escape

And I'm back with chapter 11! Did you miss me? [listens to angry reviewers banging on locked and barred reinforced steel door] I guess so....  
  
Sheba: It serves you right for leaving them with that cliffhanger!  
  
Yeah, that's tru- Sheba! You're _talking_! In _English_!  
  
Sheba: Uh huh.  
  
But how did you manage to bypass my author powers?!?   
  
Sheba: Simple. I didn't.   
  
Then how-  
  
Sheba: Picard gave me one of his cool Universal Translator thingies ^_^  
  
...I knew I shouldn't have published that list...  
  
Sheba: I asked him for a phaser too, but he didn't seem to think that was a good idea for some reason...  
  
O_O OK, I'm going to ignore that statement, and start the chapter now.   
  
  
  
**Dis-claim-er: (dis klam' er)** _n._ A statement denying ownership or association with something; a renouncial of claim. Ex: Griffinkhan wrote this stupid disclaimer to tell everyone she does not own Golden Sun. _See Also: Don't Sue Me.  
  
_Author's Note: In case it isn't clear, the events in Isaac and Ivan's subplots are happening simultaneously, while Garet's subplot is a day ahead.  
  


----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 11-The Great Escape  
  
  
  


_=So it seems all is going according to plan. I hope you're happy.=  
  
_ _I am not 'happy', as you put it. Merely-- satisfied. The plan is working much better than I had hoped. He has not suspected anything yet.  
  
_ _{You know that will not last long. He is not an idiot. He will figure it out eventually.}  
  
_ _It will last long enough.  
  
_ _=But what if it doesn't?=  
  
_ _It will. You'll see.  
  
_   
  
  
  


------------------------------  
  


"What?" Ivan gasped, staring in shock at the purple-haired woman. Yes, he recognized her now. It was, indeed, Master Hama, whom he had met at the Lama Temple what seemed like an eternity ago. However, it was not her identity that shocked him. It was what she had just said-- his _sister_?  
  
"What are you doing here? I thought you were dead!" Hama continued, too emotional to hear Ivan's confused inquiry. "I had a vision, years ago..."  
  
Ivan's head was spinning. His sister? Well, that answered why Hama had seemed so familiar to him when he had first met her. It also told why she had appeared to know him. But now, new questions were spinning though his muddled brain. Why hadn't she told him she was his sister then? Why wasn't she surprised to find him exactly the same age he had been when they met nine years ago? And how on Weyard was he going to explain his situation to her?  
  
"Master Hama! Master Hama!" came another voice. Ivan turned to see another purple-haired young woman running towards him. She was younger than Master Hama, and much less careworn. "There you are! I have been looking for you." The woman stopped as she spotted Ivan. "Who is that?"  
  
"This is Ivan, Feizhi. You remember Ivan, right?" Hama answered. _Oh! It's Feizhi!_ Ivan thought. Apparently, the girl from Xian had been forced into the workcamp as well as the people of Lama Temple.  
  
Feizhi's eyes widened. "Your brother? But I thought you said he was dead?"  
  
"I received a vision to that extent, yes," Hama answered. "But, apparently, I was wrong." She shook her head and looked puzzled. "My visions have never been wrong before... Still, this time I'm very glad they were." She smiled and placed her hand on her brother's shoulder, tears beginning to collect in her eyes. "It's been a long time, but we're together again, and that's what counts."  
  
Ivan finally found his voice. He couldn't stand misleading Hama any longer. She looked so happy, standing there, even amid all of the misery around her. He did not want to tell her that the brother she was hoping for would never come, but he had to. It would just hurt her more if he kept it a secret. "Master Hama, listen to me," he said, gently removing her hand from his shoulder and staring unflinchingly into her eyes. "I'm not your brother. He died nine years ago at the Venus Lighthouse."  
  
Master Hama's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth as if to say something. However, Ivan raised his hand and she stopped, "Please, let me finish." he continued. "I am Ivan, but not the one you knew. I am from what you would call an alternate universe. It is a world parallel to your own where events have taken place differently. They are exactly the same until one point in time- that being the death of your own Ivan." He paused to take a breath, observing his audience's reactions. Hama looked stunned and a little hurt, while Feizhi merely looked confused.   
  
"H... How is that possible?" Hama asked, staring at Ivan in shock. "You look just like Ivan..."  
  
"That's because I _am_ Ivan. Just a different one."  
  
"That is impossible." Feizhi said, shaking her head. "There is only one universe, and only one of each of us."  
  
"If you don't believe me, just look at me." Ivan replied. "If I was the Ivan from your world, I should be twenty-four. But I still look exactly the same as I did when I met you before, right, Master Hama?"  
  
Master Hama slowly nodded. "I did think it was strange that you still looked so young..."  
  
"In my universe, it's only been a few months since we met." Ivan said, nodding. "So I'm still fifteen."  
  
"But... what does it all mean?" Hama said, bewildered. _And no wonder,_ Ivan thought. _The very fundamental principles of her world have been shattered.  
  
_ "It's a long story as to how I came to be here," he answered, glancing around again. Most of the other prisoners had filed inside the mess hall already, leaving the three of them alone outside. "I'd be glad to tell you, but I think we'd better go inside. The guards are beginning to look at us funny."  
  
Hama seemed to snap out of a trance. "Right." she said, nodding. "Let's go inside and get something to eat. Come on, Feizhi... Ivan..."  
  
The three had just turned to go inside when a bell rang somewhere within the mines. A moment later, people began pouring out of the mine entrance, heading towards the mess hall.   
  
"Well, we'd better wait for Hsu, then," Hama said, looking at the approaching group of prisoners. "But you must tell us everything once we're inside, Ivan. Right?"  
  
"Right," the Jupiter Adept replied, watching the crowd and wondering if Isaac and Bernard were a part of it. He had survived his first day in Altin, and he only hoped the same could be said for them, wherever they were. He sincerely hoped so.  
  
  
  


------------------------------  
  


Garet moaned, stirring slightly as a spasm of pain shot through his back and outwards into the rest of his limbs. _What happened? _he thought vaguely, trying to remember what had caused him to end up lying on the ground with a large bleeding gash in his back. Suddenly, the memories began to return, bringing with them guilt-- the Fenrirs, his children being cornered, Mia... Then there had been an overwhelming blackness, a faint sensation of golden light off in the distance, and now, harsh reality.  
  
Somewhere off to his right, he vaguely registered the sound of footsteps growing closer. From directly overhead, he heard a noise that sounded like human voice muttering a Psynergy spell. A moment later he felt soothing healing power surge into his body, revitalizing him and closing his wounds. It was not the familiar blue presence of Mia, however, but another. It was forceful, but gentle at the same time. Garet expected to feel the uncomfortable tickling that always accompanied healing by Mercury Psynergy, but it didn't come. The power was different, more solid, more... earthy...   
  
"Felix!" Garet exclaimed, opening his eyes to see his old friend bending over him, his face lined with concern. Upon hearing the Mars Adept's outburst, Felix smiled.  
  
"So, you're finally awake," he said, offering a hand to help Garet sit up. "Don't scare me like that again, 'k? I had to use Revive and everything!"  
  
"Believe me, I'll try." Garet answered fervently. "Its not like I _enjoy_ almost getting killed."  
  
"GARET!" came an overjoyed female voice from somewhere behind the Mars Adept. Turning around, he was immediately accosted by his wife, who appeared very much alive and unhurt.  
  
"You managed to survive, huh?" Mia said jokingly, hugging her husband tightly.  
  
"Of course!" he replied, smiling broadly and returning her gesture. "It'll take more than a pack of two-headed wolves to kill me!" Then, over Mia's shoulder he spoke to Felix, who was standing a few feet away watching the scene with a bemused expression on his face. "Thank you for helping us."  
  
"No problem." Felix answered, waving Garet's gratitude aside. "We were in the area, anyway. It's a good thing we were, actually..."  
  
"We?" Garet asked, for the first time noticing that there were more strangers apart from the Venus Adept in the clearing. There were about ten to fifteen more men and women milling about in the glade. Besides Felix, however, none were familiar to the fire mage.  
  
"My team," Felix answered, gesturing to the others. "They're part of the Laliveran-based resistance group that Jenna, Picard, Sheba and I founded. We were on patrol to Tolbi to see if there was anything useful left in the ruins that we could scrounge. We didn't have much luck, though. Everything of value was taken long ago. But still, our trip turned out to be a good thing after all."  
  
"We're very glad you came." Mia said truthfully, breaking away from her spouse and smiling thankfully at the Venus Adept who had rescued them.  
  
"So, does your organization have a name?" Garet asked, looking around at the group of people around him. Most were wearing headbands of some kind, which made the Mars Adept think of pirates, but other than that there didn't appear to be any sort of uniform.  
  
Felix nodded. "We're called the Lemurian-Angaran United Guerilla Host."  
  
Mia paused, staring at Felix strangely. "Are you aware that your group's acronym is 'LAUGH'?"  
  
Felix shrugged. "Well, they do say that laughter's the best medicine, and Weyard seems pretty sick right about now..."  
  
"That's really corny, Felix." Garet groaned.  
  
"Yeah, it sounds like something _you_ would come up with." Mia countered, elbowing her husband in the ribs.   
  
"You wound me, Mia." Garet said, pouting. "I have better things to do than make up stupid acronyms."  
  
"Picard will be really happy to hear you say that," Felix said, smiling, "He spent hours with a thesaurus trying to find the right words."  
  
"See? That proves my point," Garet said to Mia. "Only someone with no life like Picard would do that."   
  
"And I suppose you _do_ have a life?"   
  
"Now I do." he whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist. "We've escaped, Mia! We're free to do whatever we want, now."  
  
"Ahem," Felix coughed, drawing the pair's attention. "I hate to interrupt your little romantic moment, but there are three children over there who are waiting to see their parents."  
  
Garet turned to see three small, noisy cannonballs zoom from the other side of the clearing, where two of Felix's men had been keeping an eye on them.   
  
"Daddy! Daddy!" cried Gregory and Dylan in unison, latching onto Garet's arms. Rose, following silently behind at a more sedate pace, was quickly swept up by Mia.  
  
"You haven't met our Rose, have you, Felix?" she asked, turning to the raven-haired man. "You left Vale before she was born. You already know Dylan and Gregory, though." The healer turned to her three children. "Kids, this is your Uncle Felix. We're going to be staying with him for a while." She glanced at Felix, "That is all right, isn't it?"  
  
"Of course!" Felix answered. "We've been worried about you. Jenna and I decided just the other day that if you didn't show up within the next few months, we'd organize a group to take you back to Lalivero ourselves."  
  
Felix bent down and looked Gregory in the eye. "So you're Gregory?" he asked. The little boy nodded. "The last time I saw you," Felix continued, "you were just a little bitty thing about this tall." He held his hands a short distance apart. "Couldn't even walk yet. Now look how big you've grown!"  
  
Gregory smiled slightly, unsure whether he should take it as an insult that he had ever been a 'little bitty thing', or a compliment on how big he was now. "Thanks, sir." he replied. Felix then moved on to Dylan, who was standing pressed against his father's side. The Venus Adept's eyes flickered at seeing the boy's uncanny resemblance to Isaac, but the sensation passed as quickly as it had come.  
  
"And you've grown a lot too, Dylan." he said, sizing the eight-year-old up. "I believe you're going to grow into a tall young man someday."   
  
"I'm going to be just as tall as my dad!" Dylan answered, pressing closer to Garet. He seemed a bit wary around this stranger.  
  
Felix's eyes flickered again. "...I'm sure you will." he said after a moment. He then turned his attention quickly to Rose, who was sitting quietly in Mia's arms, watching her brothers being reviewed.   
  
"And how are you, Rose?" he asked the little girl kindly. She made no response, simply staring at the Adept with her cerulean blue eyes that perfectly matched the hue of her mother's.  
  
"She doesn't talk," Mia said quietly, noticing Felix's puzzlement over the child's silence.  
  
"Why not?" Felix said, confused. "How old is she?"  
  
"She's three..." Garet said, sighing.  
  
Felix looked concerned. "But is that normal? My daughter Tierra talks already, and she's two!"  
  
"You have a daughter, Felix?" Mia asked, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of her mouth as she momentarily forgot about her troubles with Rose. "So you and Sheba finally tied the know, huh?"  
  
Felix reddened slightly, but nodded. "Not long after we arrived in Lalivero, actually. We're expecting our second child in two months."  
  
"Well, congratulations!" Mia said. "I always knew you two were perfect for each other."   
  
Felix smiled. "Thanks." He turned to his team, who had finished packing up their camp and were awaiting orders. "We'd better head out now," he said, addressing everyone in the clearing. "The folks back in Lalivero are probably worried about us. We've been gone for a week." He turned back to Mia and Garet. "We should be able to return to Lalivero in a day or two, if we aren't held up two much in the Suhalla Range. We managed to find a cave that takes us through the mountains much quicker than traversing the desert, but there are still monsters to worry about."  
  
"Thank you again, Felix." Garet said, offering his hand. The two men shook warmly. "My family is in your debt. We owe you our lives."  
  
"Don't mention it," Felix answered. "If I hadn't helped you, what kind of a friend would I be?"  
  
The group set off, leaving the copse of trees behind them. As they began their march, Felix asked the inevitable question.  
  
"So, what made you decide to leave Vale, anyway."   
  
"Well, Felix," Garet began, hoisting Gregory onto his shoulders and taking Dylan's hand so the little boy wouldn't get lost on their trek, "It's a long story, and you're probably not going to believe most of it. You see, it all began a few days ago when we received a very unexpected visitor..."  
  
  
  


------------------------------  
  


_Thunk_. _Thunk. Thunk._   
  
The rhythmic pounding of the pickaxe against the solid stone of the Altin mine corridors echoed in the mind of a young Venus Adept as he worked.  
  
_Thunk_. _Thunk. Thunk._  
  
Isaac could remember clearly the last time he had entered these mines. It had been only three months before, for him, and he and his friends had been working to clear the tunnels of its monster infestation. At the time, the place had been damp from the floodwaters that had been recently drained, as well as dark, dismal, and crawling with ghouls and other monsters. Now the walls were bone-dry, and the only monsters were in the unused side-corridors. However, it was no less dark and dismal.   
  
_Thunk_. _Thunk. Thunk._  
  
That was all he had heard for the past few hours, ever since he and Ivan had parted in front of the prison supply shed. The guards wasted no time in getting him into the mines and set to work. Isaac had no idea what time it was now. The mines, day or night, were an uniform pitch-black penetrated by the flickering lights of dim lanterns. There was no sun, no stars, no way of telling whether outside it was bright noontide or the shadowy witching-hour. Isaac loved being underground, as Venus energies soaked in through cave walls as if they were sponges, but he preferred to do so under more desirable circumstances. Being forced to mine gems in a prison camp was not his idea of a good time.  
  
Isaac stopped swinging his pickaxe for a moment, using it instead as a lever to pry a blue crystal from the wall. He then placed it on a pile of similar objects that he had collected during the day's diggings. He wondered what sort of use these crystals could be to someone like the alternate Isaac. Perhaps he used them to barter with other nations for more useful things?  
  
Suddenly, a clanging noise began to ring through the mines. All around him, the other workers lowered their tools and picked up their gem piles, carrying them to the minecart standing at the end of the corridor waiting to receive them. Isaac followed suit, pouring his small cascade of crystals in with the rest. The cart was pushed off by a worker, and the remaining prisoners in Isaac's corridor began to file off after him, with the two gold-armored guards that had been watching them bringing up the rear. _Hopefully, that bell signaled the end of work for the day,_ Isaac thought as he followed a short man who seemed very familiar to him for some reason. Isaac studied him more carefully. He seemed to be much like the other prisoners- dirty, emaciated, and with the customary dull, sorrowful look in his eyes, but something about him made Isaac sure he had seen him before.   
  
"Hello," the man said, after a moment, noticing that Isaac was there. "You are new here?"  
  
Isaac nodded, pulling up beside the man so they could talk more easily. "Just arrived this morning."  
  
The man offered his hand. "My name is Hsu. I have been here for many years."  
  
Isaac nearly jumped when he heard the man's name. _So that's why he seemed so familiar!_ he thought, shaking Hsu's offered hand. He hadn't immediately recognized him because he looked a lot different from when they had met in the real world. For one thing, he had lost a lot of weight, and another, his face was covered with rock dust from the mine walls.  
  
"So you're a veteran, huh?" Isaac asked.   
  
Hsu nodded. "I was from Xian. Our village was one of the first taken when the war started. My people fought. They were sent here. I have been here ever since. That was almost eight years ago."  
  
Isaac shivered. Eight years of living in this place? It was a wonder he was still alive!  
  
"Still, it is not so bad, once you get used to it." Hsu continued. "At least I am alive, no?"  
  
Isaac nodded dumbly. _How many innocent villagers were sent to this place only because they fought to save their homelands?_ he thought._ How many died here? How many were slaughtered for resisting _me_?  
  
_ "What is your name?" Hsu asked, as they turned a corner. "What brings you to Altin?"  
  
"Well..." Isaac said, stalling for time. _What should I say? Should I tell him my real name? Should I make something up? He obviously doesn't recognize me now, but if I tell him that I'm Isaac, the person who ruined his world and made him a prisoner, how will he react? What am I going to do?_  
  
Thankfully, the Venus Adept was spared an answer when the tunnel ended and the prisoners emerged into the sunset light. It seemed extraordinarily bright to Isaac's eyes after being underground so long. Isaac judged by the fading sun that it was indeed the end of the workday. He placed his pickaxe in a shed along with all the other prisoners, and then followed the crowd and Hsu towards some long, low buildings near the main square. As he did so, however, he noticed three rather odd people standing outside the buildings. Two of them had bright purple hair, and the last was short, blonde, and immediately recognizable as Ivan.   
  
Isaac quickened his pace somewhat, heading towards the blonde boy as fast as he could amid the press of the crowd. When he was a few yards away, Ivan noticed him and waved.   
  
"There you are, Isaac!" he said, obviously relieved.  
  
Hsu's eyes darkened. He turned to his companion and asked, "Isaac? Did he just call you Isaac?"  
  
"Um... yeah." Isaac answered nervously. He noticed that the two purple haired women had also looked startled when Ivan said his name.  
  
"It _is _Isaac!" the one standing closest to Ivan said, staring at the Venus Adept. "Ivan, what's going on?"  
  
"That's what I was going to explain to you, Master Hama," he answered.   
  
_That's Master Hama? _Isaac thought. The woman looked very different from when he had last seen her.  
  
"Master Hama, what is going on?" asked Hsu, looking at Isaac with a strange expression in his face. Isaac recognized it as the same expression Garet and Bernard had worn just before they had attacked him, and wondered if he was going to have another quick trip back to his own world.  
  
"I don't know, Hsu, I honestly don't know." Master Hama sighed, looking at Isaac, then to Ivan, then back to Isaac. "But I'm hoping Ivan will explain?"  
  
Ivan nodded, "Please, everyone, let's just go inside and I promise, everything will be cleared up as much as possible.   
  
  
  
It took a half-hour for Isaac and Ivan to relate the whole story to Master Hama, Feizhi, and Hsu. Once they had finished all three looked just as confused as when they had begun, but Isaac noted with relief that none looked on the verge of attacking him anymore.   
  
"But how could such a thing happen?" Master Hama asked. "It is impossible for there to be more than one reality! Especially if one has Alchemy released and the other does not! The elemental forces would be unbalanced, and the worlds would tear themselves apart!"  
  
Isaac nodded. "That's basically what Kraden told us-- if we didn't reseal Alchemy here, both worlds would be destroyed."  
  
"So we are in trouble." Feizhi stated flatly.  
  
"Yes," Isaac answered. "Very big trouble."  
  
No one could think of anything to say to that.  
  
  
  


------------------------------  
  


Jenna stood on the battlements of the Lalivero Wall, constructed by the resistance group to replace the old, crumbling wall that had formerly defended the town. It was larger and thicker than its predecessor, allowing for easy troop movement around its top as well as protecting a wider area than just the village itself. It ran around the perimeter of the island that Lalivero stood on, as it had been effectively cut off from the mainland after the earthquakes that accompanied the lighting of the Venus Beacon. The town was the perfect fortress, as it was surrounded on three sides by rivers too shallow and rocky for ships to sail but yet too deep to swim, and possessed a source of fresh water, a protected harbor, and ample room for crops to grow. The Babi Lighthouse, now renamed Freedom Tower, was completed through the groups efforts and now stood burning to guide L.A.U.G.H's sailing fleet safely home again. Overall, the town was a triumph of teamwork and architectural ingenuity.  
  
Jenna was not marveling on their success in creating a viable base of operations to resist Isaac's tyrannical rule, however. She was watching the road leading from the Suhalla Pass, hoping to see a glimpse of her brother's return. The Mars Adept looked very different from the old days, when she had traveled the world after being kidnapped by Saturos and Menardi. She no longer wore a dress, as it was impractical for the work she was doing, instead choosing to don red leggings and a sleeveless tunic. She sported a crimson headband with the group's acronym emblazoned across it, and had her sword buckled around her waist. Overall, she looked nothing like the naive village girl who had lived with her family in Vale over thirteen years ago, before the boulder fell and her world changed forever.  
  
Jenna leaned her elbows on the rough yellow stone and sighed. Felix was late, as usual. He was supposed to be back two days ago, but with her brother, who knew? He probably was drawn off into some stupid side-quest. That is, if he was all right... She didn't even want to think about the possibility of him being hurt.  
  
"Worried about Felix again, I suppose?"  
  
Jenna turned to see Sheba ascending the wallsteps, moving rather slower than normal because of the extra weight she was carrying around these days. Jenna frowned.  
  
"Sheba, you know you shouldn't be coming up here. Not in your condition."  
  
Sheba waved her concern aside. "Oh, you're acting just like your brother. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm helpless, you know."  
  
"You really ought to be paying more attention to your health, though." Jenna said. "What about the baby?   
  
"All this baby needs right now is his father." Sheba replied, stepping up to the wall and looking out at the road as Jenna had been a few moments previously. "Where _has_ Felix gotten to?"  
  
"So you've already decided it's going to be a boy?" Jenna asked.  
  
Sheba smiled. "I'm a Jupiter Adept, Jenna. I _know_ it's a boy."  
  
"Oh, yeah." Jenna answered. "I forgot. Mind powers and all that."  
  
The two women stood in silence for a few minutes, looking out towards the horizon where the sun was slowly setting. As the Gondowanian landscape shifted from gold, to red, to purple, Jenna sighed and turned away.   
  
"Come on, Sheba. He's not coming home today," she said, walking a few steps back towards the stairs. "We might as well go home and get some rest."  
  
"...Wait!" Sheba said suddenly. Jenna turned back to her friend, and saw that she was pointing towards something moving along the road towards the city. "Look! It's them!"  
  
Jenna peered along the length of her arm. "You're right! It _is_ them!" She immediately turned and began running down the staircase. She passed the startled guards at the gate and ran up the path towards her brother. "FELIX!"  
  
Sheba shook her head. "Forget all about me, huh?" she asked aloud, though Jenna was well out of earshot by now. Sighing, she glanced down at her stomach. "Come on, baby," she said, "Let's walk down and see your father. _Slowly_."  
  
  
  
  
"FELIX! FELIX!"  
  
The Venus Adept looked up to see his sister barreling along the road towards him. When she was a few feet away, she tackled him headlong, making him stumble backwards a few paces.  
  
"You're _late_," she said accusingly, hugging him tightly. "You were supposed to be back days ago!"  
  
"I ran into some old friends," he answered. "Sorry to make you worry."  
  
"You live to make me worry, Felix, and you know it." she grumbled. "Not a month goes by that you don't disappear somewhere, or nearly get yourself _killed_, or who knows what else."  
  
"You discovered my secret? I was hoping it would take you another year or two!"  
  
Jenna rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Felix. So, what 'old friends' did you run into?"  
  
"'Running into' is an understatement." Mia said, stepping forward and smiling at Jenna. "His band fought off five Fenrirs that decided we looked like dinner."  
  
"Mia! Garet!" Jenna exclaimed, noticing them standing there for the first time. "How are you?"  
  
"Just fine, thanks to your brother." Mia replied. "It was fortunate he was in the area."   
  
"Come on, everyone," Felix said, a little embarrassed about all the attention being placed on him. "Let's get back to the city. I'm sure there are others waiting for us."   
  
  
  
Sheba was maneuvering herself down the last few steps when she slipped and overbalanced. Teetering on the edge of a stair, she almost tumbled to the ground when an arm reached up and steadied her.  
  
"Careful, Sheba. You really shouldn't be climbing the stairs, you know."   
  
Sheba glared at her rescuer. "Not you too, Picard. First Felix and Jenna... I swear, these days all anybody says to me is 'Sheba, don't do this' and 'Sheba, don't do that.' I've had a baby before, you know. I'm perfectly aware of what I can and can't do."  
  
"I wasn't referring to your pregnancy, Sheba." Picard replied calmly, indicating the step on which she had slipped. A large chunk of the masonry was missing, making it a potential hazard for climbers. "I was simply pointing out that this particular flight of stairs is in need of repair, and it would be best not to use it until then."  
  
"Oh," Sheba said, sheepishly. "Sorry."  
  
"But now that you mention it--" he added, helping her down the remaining two steps, "You really shouldn't be climbing staircases at all."  
  
"I'm ignoring you now, Picard." Sheba said in mock anger, stepping off onto the solid, if a bit sandy, earth. "Has Felix's group entered the city yet?"  
  
"Your ignorance didn't last very long, " Picard observed, but Sheba just looked at him until he was forced to answer her question. "All right, all right, yes they have. And they're heading our way at this very minute, in fact."  
  
Sheba looked up to see Felix heading towards her at a little-faster-than-dignified pace. She had the strange urge to run towards him as well, but her current condition made that impossible. Therefore, she contented herself with a brisk walk and a passionate embrace once she reached him.  
  
"You're _late_," she said accusingly, in almost exactly the same tone Jenna had used a few minutes earlier.  
  
"Imitating my sister now, are we?" he joked. "That's exactly what she told me."  
  
"That's because it's true."  
  
"Point."  
  
"Welcome back, Felix," Picard said, coming forward. He nodded towards Garet and Mia. "I see you've not returned empty-handed."  
  
"Hello to you too, Picard." Garet said, smiling.  
  
"So, how was your trip?" the Lemurian queried. "I hope you didn't go all the way into Angara to rescue them!"  
  
"Have we got a lot to tell you," Felix said, shaking his head. "I met Garet and Mia near Tolbi, but just wait till you hear what's been happening back in good old Vale..."  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------  
  


And so, the days passed. Hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. For six immensely long weeks, Isaac drifted aimlessly through life in both worlds, sailing the seas by day in search of Felix and his band, and working long hours in the dreaded Mines of Altin at night. He was tired body and spirit, and the situation looked hopeless. There was no way out, no possible avenue of escape. The only way to return to normal, single-universal existence was to reseal Alchemy, and unfortunately, both it and the alternate Isaac remained in Vale, while he was stuck digging up rocks in a prison camp many miles away. In the real world, things looked no better, as both Felix and the mysterious mercury-Adept Picard had apparently vanished from the face of the earth. It also did not help that there was a gigantic rock blocking entrance to the Western Sea. At the moment, Isaac felt like he was stuck in a pan-dimensional doldrums that did not look prone to ending anytime in the near future. That is, if he didn't do something about it.   
  
  
  
  


------------------------------  
  


"Isaac, I'm not sure if this is a good plan," Ivan whispered. He held the heavy shovel they had pilfered from a supply shed carefully so it would not slip out to where the guards would see it. "What if we're caught? They'll kill us for sure!"  
  
"That's a chance we'll have to take, Ivan," the Venus Adept replied grimly. He gripped the shaft of his own stolen shovel tightly and cautiously peered around the side of the building to check for nearby guards. "Anyway, it's too late to go back now. The tunnel's almost complete. If we delay for too long, they'll find it, and then they'll probably kill us anyway. It's tonight or never."  
  
Ivan nodded, resigned to his fate. "You're right, Isaac. And I'm pretty sick of this place myself. Let's go."  
  
Isaac peered around the corner again, registered that there were no guards in the vicinity, and motioned for Ivan to follow him. He darted out from the cover of the barracks, slipped quietly across the gap between buildings, and made his way to the small hidden alcove by the wall where the tunnel was being worked on. The place was perfect for what they needed to do. It was close to the wall, hidden by rocks during the daytime, and they could conceal their tunnel entrance with a large but relatively light boulder Isaac had discovered nearby. The only difficulty was that Altin soil was particularly hard and difficult to dig in, so it had taken them the better part of a week to dig their tunnel. Their aim was to dig underneath the wall and out to a nearby grove of trees, from which position it would be relatively easy to make a break for the safety of surrounding mountains. However, Isaac had the distinct impression that it would be much easier said than done.   
  
"Everyone here?" Isaac asked quietly as he and Ivan slipped into the hideout behind the rocks. He counted four other shadowy figures- those of Master Hama, Bernard, Hsu and Feizhi. Everyone nodded their assent.  
  
"Good," he continued. "Now I don't have to repeat to you the importance of this. If we're caught, we're most likely dead. No one," he looked at Ivan, "Well, no one except Ivan's being forced to come along. If you'd rather stay here, I won't stop you."  
  
Ivan glared at Isaac. "I had absolutely no intention of staying behind, Isaac."  
  
"Neither do I," Hama said. The others all nodded in agreement.   
  
"Right," Isaac. "It's time then." He rolled the boulder aside with the help of Bernard, and hopped into the tunnel. The others followed behind.  
  
Inside the tunnel was dark and stuffy, with no light to guide them and the earth pressing in on all sides. Ivan immediately had an intense feeling of claustrophobia. He kept one hand on the earthen wall and willed himself to move forward, as the faster he went through the tunnel the faster he would emerge again into fresh air.  
  
"Here we are," Isaac's voice murmured from somewhere ahead of Ivan in the pitch-blackness. "Be careful, everyone, I'm going to dig the last few feet."  
  
The sound of a shovel hitting the earth echoed along the corridor. Ivan closed his eyes, pretending he was at home in Kalay in his bed instead of stuck in alternate dimension, sitting stuffy tunnel while attempting to escape from a prison camp. He felt something slimy crawl across his hand and he shuddered, glad there was no light so he didn't have to see what that was.  
  
The termination of the noise of Isaac's shovel hitting the earth and the glimmer of a star in a patch of tunnel a little ways ahead showed that Isaac had succeeded in breaking through into the outside world. A moment later, the star was blocked from view as Isaac poked his head through the opening.  
  
"What's it look like out there, Isaac?" Bernard asked, as the star reappeared and the Venus Adept returned to the tunnel.  
  
"Not the greatest," he replied. "We're not even close to the woods. However, I think we can make it if we don't make too much noise. The guards on the walls are all watching the compound, not the outside."  
  
Suddenly, noises began echoing along the tunnel. They sounded like... human voices...  
  
"The guards have found the tunnel!" Feizhi whispered, frightened. "We did not cover it when we entered!"  
  
Isaac immediately took control. "Everyone out of the tunnel _now_! It's our only chance!"  
  
The group quickly scrabbled up the side of the tunnel and out into the fresh air, abandoning shovels and concentrating on the woods. Inside the compound, alarms were blaring and lanterns were flaring up all over. Noise from within the tunnel showed that guards were following them out.  
  
"Quick! To the trees!" Isaac said, gesturing towards the line of foliage just ahead. "Run!"  
  
The little group did just that, dashing headlong towards the forest and the tantalizing glimmer of escape. They ran as fast as they could. Isaac felt a thrill rise inside of him as he saw that they were almost there. _We're going to make it! _he thought jubilantly.   
  
Unfortunately, at this moment Feizhi stumbled on a loose rock in the darkness and fell to the ground. Hsu stopped running to help her, and just then guards began swarming from both the tunnel and the main gates. Their chance of escape was now rapidly disappearing.  
  
"Go! I'll hold them off!" Hama said. She had grabbed one of the shovels on her way out of the tunnel, and now held it before her like a staff.  
  
"Master Hama-" Isaac began, but the Jupiter Adept cut him off.   
  
"I foresaw this long ago. You must hurry, or all is lost." She smiled bravely in the light from the approaching guards' lanterns. "Quickly!"  
  
"But-" Ivan tried to argue.  
  
"Go, now, Ivan!" she said. "Please!"  
  
"Come on!" Isaac grabbed the Jupiter Adept's arm, and he reluctantly began to run towards the trees again. Behind him, he heard the sound of lightning as Hama attempted to stall the soldiers.  
  
The treeline was just yards away. As Isaac entered the foliage, he couldn't help looking back to where the sounds of Hama's battle could be heard.  
  
Hama was fighting bravely, but her dampened Psynergy and makeshift weapon were no match for the trained and fully equipped guardsmen. As Isaac turned to look back, he heard a cry and saw a body crumple to the ground, motionless. The guards continued onwards, ignoring their fallen foe.  
  
"Sister!" Isaac heard Ivan cry, and the noise brought him back to the present. He gripped his friend's arm firmly but reassuringly, pulling him into the woods. In the dim starlight that filtered through the dense foliage, he could see that the Jupiter Adept was crying.  
  
"It's all right, Ivan," he said as soothingly as he could muster while crashing headlong through the undergrowth, pressing deeper into the trees. "She's been trapped here for a long time, and now, she's finally escaped to somewhere they will never find her."  
  
Ivan did not answer, but he kept running so Isaac supposed that his words had had some effect. _Now_ _I only have to figure out what we're going to do next_, he thought. The woods wouldn't last forever, and once they emerged onto open ground, they would be in full view of the compound. They couldn't stay in the forest, either, because come daybreak the guards would surely send groups to search it. _You seem to be getting yourself into one mess after another these days, Isaac,_ he thought.  
  
His troubles were not going to end soon. A few seconds later, the forest dimmed out and disappeared, and the group of fugitives emerged into an open field. An open field, moreover, that was crawling with guards waiting for them to appear.  
  
"Hello, _Isaac_," said a man at the forefront, whom Isaac recognized as the General Anstolm whom he had mouthed off to on the very first day. "So nice of you to drop in."  
  
The bushes behind Isaac rustled, signifying that the other soldiers had come up behind the prisoners, blocking their retreat. They were completely surrounded.  
  
"I believe you know the penalty for attempting to escape Altin, _Isaac_." the General continued, sneering. He motioned to a group of nearby guards, who rushed forward to restrain the group. "Take them away."  
  
A soldier grabbed Isaac by the arms, twisting them painfully behind his back so he couldn't resist. Then the man kicked, him, forcing him to march back towards the camp he had almost gotten away from forever.  
  
"Enjoy yourself while you can, _Isaac_," the General said mockingly as the Venus Adept was lead away. "Very soon, you'll be paying a visit to the guillotine."  
  
  
  


  
----------------------------------------------------------------  
  


Sheba: [glowering] Evil. Evil. Evil.  
  
All right, Sheba. What's so evil? [smiles innocently] It couldn't be anything _I_ did, of course!   
  
Sheba: [still glowering] Not _only_ did you end the chapter with a cliffhanger, but _you made it Felix/Sheba!_  
  
Well, what else was I supposed to do? It's not like it could be Ivan/Sheba. He's _dead_!  
  
Sheba: ...You do have a point there.  
  
At last, you see things my way. Now to respond to some reviewers before I conclude...  
  
Sheba: You seem to be doing that every chapter recently.  
  
What can I say? They ask so many questions that need answering!  
  
Sheba: No, it's just because you like to talk to people.  
  
Quiet, you. I liked it better when you typed.  
  
Sheba: ^_^ I just love twenty-third century technology...  
  
  
_Midnight C-_ Hey, I updated! Be happy! And the next chapter should be coming soon, so don't hurt me just yet!  
  
_Triad Orion_- Yes, there are a lot of potentialities for that revelation, aren't there? Especially humorous ones. I'm sure I can find some way to make use of that in my next parody... (And the 'don't hurt me just yet' applies to you, too!)  
  
_Snoopy- _Hey, all THREE of them could be the same person. You never know... [looks mysterious] Although, that could end up rather weird.  
  
Picard: Captain's Log, stardate 47.47.47. We are orbiting above our home planet of Weyard, awaiting new orders from Starfleet Command. They are holding a council at the moment to decide what must be done about the current dire threat to our existence.  
  
Mia: Captain! An Orc Cube-ship has entered the system!  
  
Picard: Set bows on stun. We don't know their intentions yet.  
  
Orc Cube-Ship: _We are the Orcs. Prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile.  
  
_Picard: Ai! Ai! A Balrog has come!  
  
Isaac: They're orcs, not a Balrog, sir.  
  
Picard: [shrugs] Orcs, Balrogs, whatever. All these alien races look the same anyway.  
  
Isaac: ...Right.  
  
On second thought, maybe it would be best to stay away from that idea...  
  
_E-100 Alpha- _Yes, I realized that. However, that's not the only stupid pun in the game. There's the matter of Briggs. That has to be the worst name for a pirate I have ever seen.  
  
_Akiko-_ I know, isn't that convenient? It's one of the reasons the genre is "General". There's action/adventure, suspense *coughcliffhangerscough*, mystery (well, sort of), drama, horror (what's more horrible than finding yourself in a freaky other world?), angst, sci-fi and fantasy (the very existence of the freaky other world!), tragedy (poor little Ivan *sniff*), and even a little humor (even though it's corny stuff like 'L.A.U.G.H.'). Not to mention Isaac/Mia AND Garet/Mia romance! Fun for the whole family!  
  
_Kadevi-chan- _The main reason why I didn't have the Isaacs have a confrontation then and there was that I had a very bad case of writer's block at the time and couldn't think of what should happen :) So I left it up to the imagination. But seriously, if a double of you walked in the door, would you immediately think 'Ah! He's from another universe!' (Well, maybe a really bad sci-fi nut might!) However, a normal person would think that there is some kind of trick going on. And its even more likely that that would be the case for someone with as much power as the evil Isaac does. What better way to infiltrate a enemy base than to impersonate someone important who has access to it?   
  
_Isaac Says Booga_- Where are the Djinn? Um, funny you should ask that... Well, in the normal world, the Djinn are there, and I suppose everyone except Isaac and Ivan in the alternate world have theirs, but they really aren't important. I don't particularly like using the Djinn as talking characters for the simple fact that there are _way too many_ of them! I mean, if I did, there would be seventy-two little light-balls popping up randomly every now and then, and that would become confusing very quickly. Not to mention the trouble with keeping all their names straight! So for now, the Djinn are there, but not active participants in the storyline. I might have them become more involved later, though... oh well.   
  
_anonymous-_ Why, thank you! Your review just made my day. I'll try to update more often, I promise!  
  
_Leilani_- The worst is yet to come...  
  



	12. La Guillotine

Well, chapter 12 is finally up. It took me forever to write, mainly because it's supposed to be angsty and a bit romantic and I am absolutely terrible at romance. I'm still not happy with the chapter, but it's about time I updated so I'll post it and hope it's OK...  
  
Some answers for the people who had questions--  
  
_Snoopy- _The point was to NOT make it like the Great Escape, although I didn't do a very good job of it :) There was no jumping scene because 1) there was no barbed wire fence and 2) there are no motorcycles in Weyard. At least, I hope there aren't... About the thing in the tunnel with Ivan-- I'd forgotten there even was a part in the movie where that happened. Guess it was a subconscious thing. And for your last point- no one escaped because I'm evil. Unless you count Master Hama, but that's not really *escaping*, per say...  
  
_E-100 Alpha- _Alex... hmm, I wonder where he could have gotten to...? ;) That will be revealed in due time.  
  
_Maya Kaiba_- That would be interesting, but I don't think it's going to happen unless my brain does something really strange to the plot. It does that sometimes, you know.

Everybody else- Thank you for reviewing! I appreciate your support ^_^  
  
_  
_**SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING:** This chapter contains a MAJOR CLIFFHANGER, which may be hazardous to your health. Please avoid reading if you are nursing, pregnant, easily excitable, have a history of heart problems, or are afflicted by Icantstandthesuspenseitis. Griffinkhan takes no responsibility for harm caused by this fic, as she doesn't own Golden Sun and is getting no profit out of this except the pleasure of torturing readers. You have been warned...  
  


----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 12- La Guillotine   
  
  
  
  


_=What are you going to do now, eh? Isaac seems to be in quite a fix. Admit it- your perfect plan is going awry.=  
  
_ _Everything will turn out in the end.  
  
_ _{But if he dies in that world--}  
  
_ _Isaac is a resourceful young man. He will get out of this eventually. Besides, other events have already been set into motion.  
  
_ _{So you are going to do nothing but sit back and hope for the best? That doesn't sound very reassuring. What if something goes wrong with these 'events' you speak of?}  
  
_ _Nothing will go wrong. The scenario is set. Nothing _can_ go wrong.  
  
_ _=For once, I very much hope you are right.=  
_  
  
  


------------------------------ 

  
  
  
A single star flickered in a small square of silent night, pulsating gently and adding its feeble light to that of its sister stars and the crescent moon. The glittering crystal suspended in the heavens millions of miles away glowed unconcernedly, oblivious to the faces of creatures on countless worlds gazing at it, wondering what lay in orbit around its fiery form. Could there be a world like theirs, with seas crashing against the shoreline, civilizations rising and falling, and petty lives being created only to disappear so quickly into the black void of the past? The star was unaware of these watchers, and least of all of the eyes of one golden haired boy, lost and alone in a strange universe.  
  
Isaac averted his eyes from the small barred window and the star teasing him there. How he wished he could be somewhere, anywhere else, preferably in his own world but even back in the desolate Vale with the alternate Garet and Mia would be preferable to sitting here in a cold, damp dungeon, awaiting his own execution. The guards had said they were to be kept in here until the Vernal Equinox, and then... Isaac remembered that on his first day in Altin, he had looked up at the horrible wooden monstrosity of the Guillotine and wondered what it would feel like underneath its blade. Now... it seemed he would be getting a first hand experience.   
  
The boy leaned against the stone wall of his prison, which might have been made of ice for all the warmth it gave him. The cold pierced through his thin worker's tunic, chilling him to the bone. No, not the bone- to the very depths of his soul. It froze in the chinks and cavities of his hope and shattered it into a thousand pieces, like a cliff wall beset by a blizzard. There was nothing he could do. He would die here, in this perverted parody of his beloved world of Weyard, cut off from his family and homeland. He would never see Vale again. He would never see his mother again.  
  
He would never see Mia again.  
  
Isaac reached up and brushed away the tear that threatened to fall and betray his emotions to the cosmos. He would not let those who were going to take his life and that of one of his closest friends know they had gotten to him. He would be strong, and face death the way a hero should- standing tall and proud, without fear. It was what his father would have wanted. It was what Mia would have wanted. When his turn came for that deadly blade, he would not tremble and beg, but be calm and meet his doom with a smile. But that was still in the future. Now, virtually alone in this tiny cell, he could no longer stop the sorrow from overwhelming him.  
  
The tears sprang unbidden to his eyes, slowly trickling down his face and pattering to the frigid floor, adding to the moisture in the damp dungeon. Isaac watched them detachedly, absently wondering why they did not freeze on contact. He was so cold, and the dawn was yet a long way off. He probably should get some sleep, but then... then he would have to tell them. Garet and Mia slept even now back in the real world, unsuspecting that somewhere across the void of the universes two of their friends were slated to die. How could he relate such news? How could he walk up to his best friend and his lover, and tell them that he was facing certain doom at the blade of a guillotine?  
  
He didn't want to place the worry on them, but he knew he must. His eyes were even now growing sleepy, and eventually, he would drift off whether he liked it or not. Trying to stall for time and keep himself awake, he peered around at the rest of the dungeon. Four stone walls, a barred window, a cold wooden door- there was nothing much here save himself and the small huddle of rags in a corner that was Ivan. The others were in separate cells, probably to prevent 'conspiracy' or something. He watched his Jupiter Adept friend's chest rise and fall as he breathed, the slow rhythm indicating that the boy was asleep. It was not his own death that scared him, Isaac realized, but the hurt to others that his passing would cause. Garet, Mia, Jenna, his mother, Vale... all would grieve over his loss. They would suffer pain because he had messed up and gotten himself killed. They did not deserve that.   
  
Most of all, though, Isaac was scared for Ivan. The Jupiter Adept was not even supposed to be here. If he had not given Ivan cause to worry about his sanity, given him reason to read his mind, the young mage would not be in this mess. Now Ivan was going to die, and Isaac knew he had only himself to blame for it.  
  
_I'm sorry, Ivan,_ Isaac thought miserably. _I'm a horrible leader, a horrible friend... I should have been able to do _something_. I've made so many stupid mistakes... Oh, Ivan, I'm so sorry...!_  
  
Isaac buried his head in his knees, muffling the sob of despair that welled up in his chest. He was being stupid, crying wouldn't help anything, but he was too tired to care anymore. His body was weary, soul fatigued, mind and spirit exhausted almost beyond endurance. Too many terrible things had happened, and he could not stand the stress any longer. The death of his father, the kidnap of his friends, the sickness of his mother, the trials of his long journey, the many nights without rest for his weary mind, the death of Master Hama, the sheer hopelessness of his situation and his own impending execution; all these things that he had long stuffed away into a corner of his mind were banging on the door to the world and threatening to break it down. He needed sleep-- pure, sweet, dreamless unconsciousness to release him from the troubles of the world.   
  
Isaac glanced up at the window again. The star in the sky told him that the equinox was not far off. Only two more days... In but a few short risings of the sun, he thought with trepidation, he would have sleep. An endless, eternal one.   
  
The Venus Adept shivered and drew his legs closer to his body for warmth. He should probably go now. Mia and Garet needed to know the news, and he needed to say... needed to tell them... goodbye. Slowly, inexorably, his eyelids began to close, his head drooping downwards as the tantalizing prospect of rest reached out to claim him.  
  
But in the tiny cell, with its heartless twinkling star in the window and frozen tears upon the floor, Isaac did not sleep. He merely drifted, a lost and lonely traveler with no hope of coming home.  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------ 

  
  
Jenna walked up the gangplank of the Lemurian ship, hauling a heavy box of supplies. It did not seem as cumbrous to her now as it would have been ten years ago, before Alchemy was unleashed and she had to become strong to survive, but it was still heavy enough to make her arms ache after holding it for a while. She walked onto the wooden deck and across the smooth boards, heading to the doorway leading to the ship's hold. Unfortunately, however, the box blocked her view of her feet. Unable to see where she was walking, she tripped on a rope lying across the deck. The box flew from her grip and crashed to the ground, spilling its contents everywhere. Jenna would have suffered a similar fate if it weren't for a pair of strong arms that looped around her waist from behind, steadying her.  
  
"Are you all right, Jenna?" a soft voice said from over her shoulder. Picard's voice. Jenna blushed slightly, although she had no idea why.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to you," she replied. Picard released her from his grip, and Jenna felt a strange feeling of loss as he did so.  
  
"Here, I'll help you clean this up," the Lemurian offered, gesturing to the supplies now strewn across the deck. "I should have remembered to move that rope where people wouldn't trip on it."  
  
"Thanks, Picard," Jenna said gratefully, bending down herself to pick up a stray apple. "This is the last box, I think."  
  
The two Adepts carefully piled the scattered fruit back into the wooden crate, noting that fortunately none of the produce seemed unduly harmed by the spill. As they were placing the last few apples into the box and fitting on the lid, Felix came bounding up the gangplank towards them. He looked unusually chipper.  
  
"Morning, all!" he said cheerfully. "How's the loading coming?"  
  
"Hello, Felix," Jenna said, as she and Picard carefully raised the box off the deck. "This is the last of the supplies, I believe."  
  
"Very good," Felix answered, with more enthusiasm than was probably necessary. "We should be able to set off within the hour, then."  
  
"How are Sheba and the baby doing?" Picard asked, voicing the question that both he and Jenna knew Felix was waiting for.  
  
"Oh, they're quite well." Felix assured him. "The doctors want Sheba to stay in bed another few days, but you know her. She'll probably sneak away somehow and be down here to see us off. I do feel a bit guilty about leaving so soon after the baby was born, but we really can't afford to wait much longer. Who knows what's happened to Isaac, Ivan, and Garet's brother in that prison camp by now."  
  
"Then we'd better make sure everything's ready so we can leave as soon as possible," Picard said, hefting the box of supplies. "I'll take this down below for you, Jenna."  
  
He continued off downstairs, and Felix moved on to give instructions to a few of the other crewmembers. There were a few Laliverians and Lemurians among the sailors, but mostly the crew consisted of Champa pirates who had fled their homeland after Isaac's rise to power. The fishing village was located much too close to Altin, even with the mountain range between them, and the villagers had fled to Lalivero several years ago for safety. They then had become the backbone of L.A.U.G.H.'s fleet.  
  
As Jenna watched her brother happily giving orders, a sensation of longing, perhaps bordering even on jealously began to rise in her chest. Felix had been acting very different, lately, ever since his second child was born. He seemed so happy and carefree-- emotions Jenna hadn't fully experienced for a long time. The Mars Adept leaned against the deck rail and sighed. She was Felix's sister, but he now had a wife and two babies and she was beginning to realize that she was just one of many parts of his life. Jenna and her brother had once been inseparable, as they were the only family left for each other. But now... Felix had moved on, getting married and having children. He had a family beside Jenna to care for. Meanwhile, she, Jenna, was shunted to the sidelines, alone and still impossibly caught in the past.  
  
Jenna sank to the deck behind some barrels and looked up at the sky. She wondered if she would ever find the happiness that Felix had. When she was a little girl, she and everyone around her had always assumed that she would grow up to marry either Isaac or Garet. However, Garet had fallen for Mia and Isaac... well, he was effectively out of the picture. Her childhood dreams were shattered and she had no idea where she should go from here.   
  
_It's odd_, Jenna mused, as she watched a fluffy white cloud sail by on the breeze. _Everyone else has gotten new hope in these past few months, while I... I'm just more desperate than when I started.  
  
_ The others were looking happier than ever before. Felix had a new baby, Garet and Mia had finally escaped from Vale, they were going to rescue those trapped in Altin and there seemed to be finally a glimmer of a chance of defeating the evil Isaac. They had prepared for years, and now, with the arrival of the two mysterious travelers from another dimension, their plans finally were ready for implementation. For everyone but Jenna, the future seemed brighter and the sun more golden than before.  
  
_But I'm still alone. Still alone, while the others race before me into a happier world. I'm just the useless, worthless sister of Felix who has no one to love or care about her anymore.   
  
_ _The others are fighting for their future. But I have none.  
  
_ _So, I will have to fight for theirs.  
  
  
  
_ Picard carried the box of supplies down beneath the decks, reaching a storeroom that was already filled to bursting with similar crates. He stacked the last box on top of the other ones and began walking out again. They would be setting off very soon, now, off to rescue Isaac and Ivan and Garet's brother from the Altin prison camp. With the wings on the Lemurian ship it wouldn't take long, but still, he had made sure the vessel was stocked with enough food so the crew could survive any number of unexpected calamities. Picard wondered what these people they were supposed to rescue would be like. He had never met Ivan, as he had joined up with the group after the Venus Lighthouse. Garet and Mia had talked about him sometimes, and he sounded like a pleasant person. But Isaac-- yes, he had met Isaac. Picard's eyes darkened as he stepped back out onto the deck and walked over towards some barrels stacked near the side, leaning against them as he thought. Isaac had always slightly disturbed him. He seemed so _empty_, as though normal human emotions had simply disappeared in his soul until all that was left was bitterness and hate. He had not been so bad when they first met, but after Mars Lighthouse... That was when Isaac got his hands on the Golden Sun. That was when whatever small bit of decency and honor left in him vanished. That was when...  
  
Picard tried to divert his thinking away from this line of thought. The Isaac they were going to rescue was _not_ the one who had destroyed their world. It was not the one who had attacked Lemuria, slaughtering and enslaving innocents. It was not the one who transformed Altin into a prison camp. The one they were going after was the _real_ Isaac, the way he was before Alchemy and grief corrupted him. Picard half-smiled as the irony of the situation hit him. The Isaac of their world had spent the last decade trying to become as little like the young, duty and honor bound Isaac. And yet... it was this person he had tried to eradicate that was going to defeat him.  
  
Picard's eyes shifted across the figures of the crew, bustling about the ship. He should be happy that Weyard was finally going to be free. He should be happy that soon, the group of eight Adepts would be together again as they should have been from the first. But he wasn't. Picard's eyes lingered on Felix as the Venus Adept talked to one of the former Champa pirates. The battle to come would be for the future, for the survival of Weyard and the freeing of her peoples. It was a battle for people like Felix and Garet, who had families and a golden horizon to look forwards to. It was not a battle for people like Picard. As a Lemurian, he had always been mired in the past. Living among the ruins of a former age, never growing old, sitting in a small, unchanging oasis of the past while all around him, people rushed into the present. He _had_ no future to look forwards to, like Felix and the others. They had families and children and hope, while he was alone. His mother, father, uncle, even King Hydros-- they all were dead. Picard alone remained, the last remnant of a dying civilization. He would fight in this battle, but he knew that when it was won, there would be no benefits for him. He would fight for the younger generation, for their future, and then he would step aside and let them run it the way they wished without him getting in the way. And then... then he would live the rest of his life in solitude.  
  
_   
  
_ It is amazing how the human can feel remote in the middle of a crowd. But it is possible. It is possible even for two human beings to be standing feet apart, and yet be completely isolated in the universe.  
  
Jenna and Picard stood three feet away from each other, separated by a row of barrels, and yet both were lost, silent, and utterly alone.  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------ 

  
  
Isaac awoke groggily, his bleary eyes opening to see the wooden ceiling of his room aboard Babi's Lemurian ship, not the stone of his dungeon cell. He must have fallen asleep, and now he was back in his own world. Isaac sat up and shivered involuntarily. He was millions of miles in time and space away from those who had condemned him to death, but the shadow of the guillotine still hung over his head, grinning and waiting for the opportunity to fall.  
  
_Knock. Knock._  
  
"Isaac, are you awake?"  
  
Mia's voice. The pattern of speech that he had grown to love, that made every word sound like those of an angel. Her voice was the bubbling of a mountain brook, the crashing of the salt waves upon the shore, the patter of raindrops on the windowpane, the--  
  
Isaac's train of metaphors was abruptly halted by another voice outside the door. "Isaac! Hurry up! Mia won't let me have breakfast until you get out here, and I'm starving!"  
  
Garet's voice. Unlike with Mia's, Isaac did not feel like making any comparisons between it and anything else. Although, if he _had_ felt inclined, at that particular moment he would have described it as "annoying as Kraden's."  
  
However, the Venus Adept's irritation at his friend's interruption was brief, and by the time he had dressed and exited the room it was forgotten. What he could not forget was the terrible news he must tell his friends.  
  
"So, Isaac," Mia said, as the three Adepts headed towards the galley for the morning meal. "Did you... sleep well?"  
  
"Yeah, Isaac," Garet chimed in from his position several strides ahead of his friends, "How did the escape attempt go?"  
  
Isaac did not answer, merely staring straight ahead at the end of the corridor. The three passed the room in which Ivan lay. The door was shut, but Isaac knew that beyond it was his friend, lying on the bed in a deep sleep that he would probably never wake up from.  
  
"Isaac...?" Mia asked, and there was something in her voice that made Isaac turn to look at her. Her eyes held concern in their cerulean depths, as they had for most of the past month, but now the concern bore an undertone of fear. The two emotions made her eyes seem like twin whirlpools in which hope and happiness where sucked down and hidden away forever. "Something's happened, hasn't it?" she asked quietly. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it resonated through the corridor as if she had shouted.  
  
Garet stopped walking and faced the Venus Adept, alarm flickering across his normally carefree countenance. Both Mercury and Mars Adepts stared at their leader, who simply bowed his head and studied his yellow, battleworn boots.  
  
"I'll tell you about it in the kitchen..." he said dully, beginning to walk down the corridor again. "You'll probably need to sit down..."  
  
The rest of the journey was undertaken in silence.   
  
  
  
"So, Isaac..." Mia asked a few minutes later, setting down a mug of tea in front of each of the Adepts. The three of them sat around the small wooden table, with an empty chair reminding everyone forcefully of the friend who was missing. The teacups stood on the table, steaming slightly, but none of the teenagers moved to drink the liquid._  
  
_ "We dug the tunnel too short," Isaac said, without preamble. "The guards found our entrance and chased us. Master Hama... fell trying to give us time to get away. But we were surrounded, and they captured us. They're going to execute us in two days."   
  
The words seemed so ludicrous to Isaac's ears. Here he was, sitting in this brightly-lit ship's kitchen, perfectly safe, with no other human beings for miles across the waves, talking about his own impending death. And yet, the words were still horribly, undeniably true.   
  
Mia and Garet did not speak, simply staring blankly at their friend. They did not seem to be able to comprehend what Isaac had just told them.  
  
"Execute? As in kill?" Garet asked, after a while.   
  
"Yes, Garet, that's what 'execute' usually means, now doesn't it?" Mia said, sounding slightly hysterical.  
  
"Well, _sorry_." he muttered.   
  
"But... Isaac," Mia said, looking at him pleadingly, "If you die there, it won't matter, will it? You might just... bounce back here or something. Won't you?"   
  
"It's possible, but I doubt it," Isaac said flatly. "Whenever I had an injury in one world, it showed up in the other one, as well. It's not likely that that's going to change."  
  
There was silence, during which Isaac gripped his teacup tightly, not caring that the hot porcelain burnt his skin.  
  
"...Isaac..." Garet said finally, all trace of his usual joviality gone from his voice. "Isaac, buddy, I... I don't know what to say..."  
  
Isaac stared down at his hands, realized that they hurt from the hot tea and withdrew them from the cup. He didn't know what to say, either. The whole situation was so bizarre, he would normally have thought he was dreaming, but he hadn't been having dreams for the past few weeks.   
  
Mia abruptly stood up, nearly knocking over the mugs of tea, and rushed over to embrace Isaac. He could see that there were tears in her eyes, escaping from the blue whirlpools' grasp and dripping down her face. The Venus Adept held her tightly to his chest, letting her cry into his tunic.  
  
The situation remained like this for several minutes, with Garet standing, apparently in shock, Mia sobbing silently and Isaac holding her, staring blankly at the wall. After a while, Garet stirred and turned to Isaac, fear and confusion apparent on his face.  
  
"How... how long do you have?" he asked, hesitantly.  
  
"Two days."  
  
The sound attached itself to the listener's hearts like a parasite. It burrowed deep inside their soul and curled up, eating away from the inside out.  
  
_Two days..._  
  
Two days from now, Isaac would be dead.  
  
  
  


------------------------------ 

  
  
The hours passed quicker than anyone would have wished. Too soon, night fell in the real world and Isaac found himself back in the Altin prison cell, with Ivan just waking up on the other side of the room. The two boys sat in silence for a while, unable to muster up a topic of conversation. They knew they had only forty-eight hours left to live, but yet, they couldn't think of talking. They merely sat and watched the sun pass their window on its trek across the sky.  
  
_Eight o'clock, nine o'clock, ten, ten-thirty, eleven, noon..._  
  
The guards came down the corridor, banging on cell doors as they did so. Isaac looked up and slipped behind where the door would swing open, thinking that maybe by some slim chance he might be able to knock out the guard when he entered to bring them lunch and escape. However, the door did not open. Instead, the guard unbolted a small flap in the door and shoved a bowl of water and some bread inside. So much for that plan, Isaac thought, as he resignedly divided the meager lunch with Ivan and sat back down against the wall.  
  
_One-thirty, two, three, three-thirty..._  
  
Isaac stood up and began pacing the cell. There had to be some way out of here... some weakness in the door, or the walls, or the window, that would let them escape. He started inspecting the walls, looking for loose bricks that might allow them exit. Ivan, catching on to his idea, joined in the search as well.   
  
_Four, five, six, six-thirty, seven, eight...  
  
_ The sun passed by the window and the stars began to emerge from hiding before Isaac finally halted his search.  
  
"It's no use, Iv'," he admitted, after examining every inch of the east wall and meeting up with the Jupiter Adept by the door. "There's no way out, not with out a crowbar or something." It was the first thing either of them had said all day. Ivan nodded.   
  
"I knew there wouldn't be anything when we began." he said heavily, leaning against the wooden door and wrapping his arms around his knees. "Still, it's better to do something than nothing, right?"   
  
"Yeah, I suppose..." Isaac assumed a position similar to Ivan's.  
  
"Isaac." Ivan said after a moment. "We're going to die here, aren't we." It was a statement, not a question, and Isaac saw with a twinge of alarm that Ivan's eyes were flat and lifeless. He seemed to have given up all hope of escape. _I probably look that way, too. It's just more frightening to see it on Ivan._  
  
"Everything will work out somehow," Isaac said, with a conviction he did not feel. "And even if we do... even if we are..." He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry, "Well, at least we'll be together, right?"   
  
Ivan gazed absently out the window. "I wonder," he said after a time, "if people from this universe go to the same place when they die as people in our universe?"   
  
"I... don't know," Isaac said, a bit confused at his friend's abrupt change of subject. "Probably, I suppose..."  
  
"That's good, then." Ivan said, gazing up at the sky. "'Cause otherwise, we might be stuck in this universe's heaven and not be able to see people from our own world ever again."  
  
"I didn't think of that," Isaac said, suddenly unnerved. "Ivan, why do you have to come up with disturbing ideas all the time?"  
  
"It's my job," Ivan said, smiling for the first time in days. "You're the leader, Garet's the sidekick, Mia's the healer and I'm the disturbing-idea-creator."   
  
"Right."  
  
"But still," Ivan said, turning back to the window and looking out at the single star still sitting there, mocking them, "like you said, no matter what happens, at least we'll be together."   
  
Then both boys fell silent for a few moments, staring at the star glittering through the barred opening.   
  
"That's not exactly the idea option, you know."  
  
"Yeah. ...Isaac?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Isaac, when you go back tonight, will you give Garet and Mia a message to deliver for me?"  
  
"'Course."  
  
"Tell them to tell Master Hama... that I'm sorry that I couldn't have been a better brother. And that we could never really know each other."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Just... that I love her."  
  
"I'll make sure the message's delivered, Ivan."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem. Anything for a friend..."  
  
Silence. Darkness overtook the cell, and then at last soft breathing showed that Ivan was asleep.  
  
_One Altin day left...  
  
_ _Seventeen years on this planet, all to be ended in one day...  
  
_ Sleep overcame Isaac's senses.  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------ 

  
  
_Another night in the real world, another day in Altin, and now it's night again. When I fall asleep again, it'll all be over. This is the last time I'm going to see Mia while living.  
  
_ _Damn.  
  
_ Isaac woke on his last night alive with these thoughts running through his brain_. It's probably not best to be thinking about damnation at this point, Isaac,_ he admonished himself. _You might just end up there.  
  
_ Isaac jumped to his feet, determined to distract himself from morbid thoughts. He had only a few hours left with Mia, and he was resolved not to waste them. He slipped on his tunic and leggings, and out the door without bothering to put on shoes. The bare wood of the ship felt cold and grainy beneath his bare feet, but the builders had sanded the boards enough that there was no danger of splinters. Isaac dearly wished that splinters were the worst of his troubles.  
  
It was not difficult to find Mia. She sat on the prow of the ship, letting the sea spray wash over her. The salt water mingled with the tears on her face, making the two indistinguishable.   
  
"Mia, are you all right?"  
  
It was a stupid question. Of course she wasn't. However, it had the desired effect. Mia turned around and wrapped her arms around Isaac's waist, burying her face in his tunic.   
  
"Isaac..." she whispered, tears penetrating the thin fabric and burrowing into his heart like ice shards. He hated to see her cry. Someone so beautiful did not deserve to be sad. He gently lifted her head up and wiped away her tears.  
  
"Mia, please don't cry," he said, trying to smile reassuringly. "It's not like you'll never see me again."  
  
"But it's not the same thing, Isaac. You know it isn't."  
  
"Mia, love, I'd like nothing better than to stay here by your side forever. But it doesn't look like that's going to be possible." He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her as close as he could while gazing into her eyes that reflected the color of the ocean all around them. "We only have a few hours left. Let's try to make the most of them."  
  
They kissed, their passion fueled by the raw energy of despair. They stood, locked in an embrace, savoring the presence of one another before they were ripped apart forever.  
  
Behind them, the sun rose from the sea, beginning its desperate journey across the heavens to drown and die again at night.  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------ 

  
  
Sunset. The sea turned blood red as the sun sank below the horizon, a grim but fitting reminder of events to come.  
  
Garet and Isaac stood, leaning on the railings at the side of the ship as they watched the sun slowly disappearing. The Venus Adept had spent most of the day sitting with Mia, but he also wanted to say goodbye to his Mars Adept friend.  
  
Garet slammed his fist down on the railing, his gauntlets making an indentation in the wood. "Isaac, why does it have to be this way?" he asked, a note of desperation in his voice. "Why do we have to sit here and just _watch_ while you and Ivan die?"  
  
"I don't know," Isaac replied truthfully. He moved over and placed one hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Garet! This is all because of me making stupid decisions."  
  
"It's not your fault, mate." Garet said, pulling Isaac into a bone-crushing hug. "If anything, it's _my_ fault. I'm the one who got you into this mess in the first place with that branch."  
  
"Garet, don't blame yourself. It wasn't you."  
  
"I know," Garet pulled away and stood with his hands on Isaac's shoulders, looking down at him. "It's just... Isaac, you're my best friend! We've been friends almost since we were born! And now... and now..."  
  
"I don't know what to tell you, Garet." Isaac said, seeing his best friend's eyes were slightly bloodshot from suppressed tears. "I can't say everything will be fine, because it most likely won't be. But I can tell you that we _will_ see each other again someday. I might not be on Weyard anymore, but that doesn't mean that I'm gone forever. And also, it's very important that you continue the quest. It will be difficult, but I know I can count on you. You must find Jenna and Sheba and keep the lighthouses from being lit. Please, Garet!"  
  
Garet nodded, his expression grim and determined. "I promise, Isaac. I'll do everything in my power to keep Weyard safe."  
  
Isaac smiled slightly, grasping his friend's hand firmly and shaking it. "Thanks, Garet. You're a true friend."  
  
The pair turned back to the setting sun, watching it without speaking for a few minutes.  
  
"Isaac..." Garet said finally. "What am I going to tell your mother?"  
  
"Tell her the truth," Isaac answered. "Tell her exactly what happened. ...And Garet? I'm sorry to be placing all these responsibilities on you, but-"   
  
"Don't worry, I'll look after her." Garet replied, understanding what his friend was going to ask. "Do you really think that anyone in Vale would abandon her, anyway? Dora's the nicest lady I've ever met, and that's _including_ my own mom!"  
  
Isaac laughed, although it sounded forced even to his own ears. "Don't let her hear you say that. Shame on you, talking about your own mother that way."   
  
Garet smiled slightly, but his eyes remained dark and sad. "I'm going to miss you, buddy," he said quietly. "Life just won't be the same without you there to help me out of the messes I get myself in."  
  
"You're the best friend I've ever had, Gar'," Isaac replied. "Take care of yourself. And take care of Mia for me, will you?"  
  
His words were echoes of those he had spoken weeks previous, when bidding farewell to the alternate Garet before entering the castle. So much had changed since then, and though the words were the same, the meaning behind them was radically different.  
  
"It's time..." Garet murmured, as the sun was extinguished and the sky darkened to black. "Tell Ivan goodbye for me, if you can."  
  
"Yes," Isaac whispered, staring at the stretch of sea where the sun had fallen moments before, as if he could will it back above the horizon. Then he turned, and with Garet following reluctantly behind, headed towards the cabin to meet his doom.  
  
  
  
The door to Isaac's room shut with a final sounding boom. The Venus Adept eyed the bed with trepidation. Never before had he been so unwilling to go to sleep. _I could just stay awake..._ he mused, walking over and sitting on the edge. He considered the proposition for a moment before discarding it. It would just be stalling the inevitable. He had to fall asleep sometime, and the strange mechanics of time between the universes would ensure that however long he remained over here, he would still awaken at dawn on the other side.   
  
"Isaac..." came a voice from the other side of the room. Isaac looked up, slightly startled. Mia stood against the wall, her eyes large and sorrowful.   
  
"Mia?" he questioned. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
She walked over to the bed and sat down beside him. "I want to stay with you tonight," she said. "Just to sleep... I want to be with you when... when..."  
  
Isaac pulled her into his arms. "I understand, Mia."  
  
The two lovers sat clinging to one another, sharing a last moment together before the night claimed them.   
  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------

"Wake up, Isaac, it's time."  
  
Isaac sat bolt upright, instantly aware of the pounding of feet in the corridor outside and the rattle of keys in the lock. Ivan sat beside him, looking extremely pale but determined. He helped Isaac to his feet as the guards opened the door.  
  
"This way," one of the gold-armored men said in a gruff voice, poking the two prisoners with his spear. "Come on."  
  
Their footsteps echoed along the corridor as the guards ushered them into another room. Bernard, Hsu, and Feizhi stood there, all with varying degrees of dread on their faces. There were also several more guards here. One of them came forward with a small instrument like a needle. Grabbing Isaac's arm roughly, he jabbed the instrument into the Venus Adept's flesh.   
  
Isaac bit back a cry of pain as his Psynergy seemed to be sucked out of him. When the man withdrew the needle, he felt extremely wobbly on his feet and had to grab on to Ivan for support. He was completely drained of energy now. Even if he did somehow manage to escape the guards, he wouldn't be able to use any spells or even run very far without collapsing. The reason for this drug, or whatever it was, was quickly apparent, as the guard produced a key and unlocked the iron collar still around Isaac's neck.  
  
"Can't 'ave yew goin' out there with that thing on yer neck," the guard said, moving to repeat the procedure with Ivan. "T'would dull the blade."  
  
The guards then began shoving the prisoners into a line while tying each person's hands behind their back with some rope. In the relative confusion, Ivan managed to hold a hurried conversation with Isaac before they were separated.  
  
"Guess this is goodbye," the Jupiter Adept said.   
  
"I'm sorry for getting you into this," Isaac murmured. "I-"  
  
"Don't apologize. There isn't time nor need for that." Ivan muttered back fiercely. "Let's just go out there and show these scumbags that Adepts aren't afraid of death."  
  
"See you on the other side, then." Isaac whispered. "Wherever that may be."  
  
Then the guard's spears were at their backs, and they were forced apart, Ivan to the very front of the line and Isaac a few places back, behind Feizhi and Hsu. General Anstolm, whom Isaac had grown to loathe, chose that moment to enter the door, a smirk playing across his features.  
  
"Everything is ready." he informed the guards. "Take them outside."  
  
The line of prisoners marched out the door, led by one gold-armored man and followed by the General and the rest of the soldiers. The Sun was a short ways over the horizon by now, turning the sky pink and gold as the dawn rays touched it. A chill spring breeze blew through the central courtyard, where what looked like the entire compound stood watching. The slaves huddled in a group just before the guillotine platform, ringed by the gold-armored guards. The crowd stirred restlessly as they saw the prisoners emerge.  
  
Drums began to beat. Three drummers stood in a straight row before the pathway to the dais, their faces devoid of any emotion. Isaac's eyes traveled past them, up the dirt road and beyond the crowd of slaves and soldiers to rest on the terrifying sight at the end of the avenue. There stood the Guillotine, blade shining red with the reflected dawn sunlight and timber frame creaking menacingly as the executioners primed it for use.  
  
The guards prodded the prisoners with their spears, and the group began to march down the road. Isaac kept his shoulders up and his head held high, ignoring the jeers of the soldiers and the quiet stares of the other slaves. He had promised himself that he would not show fear in this moment, though inside he was trembling. To try and keep his mind off what was about to happen, he surveyed the faces of his companions. Bernard was behind him and couldn't be seen without turning but the others were clearly visible. Feizhi's hair had been cropped short by the guards so it wouldn't get in the way of the blade. She looked much older without it, as if she had aged twenty years in a single day. Hsu looked even thinner than he had a few days ago. Then there was Ivan... The Jupiter Adept was staring ahead with grim determination, his eyes not focusing on anything in particular as he walked. Still, his face was deathly pale, and his blonde hair clung limply to his head, plastered down by sweat. The mage was clearly terrified, but trying his best to hide it. _He looks so young,_ Isaac realized. It was the first time he truly understood how much younger than the rest of them Ivan actually was. _He's only fifteen... Oh gods, Ivan, you don't deserve this!_  
  
Now they reached the dais. The guards prodded them into a row near the steps to the Guillotine. The drums fell silent as General Anstolm mounted the steps and began addressing the crowd in a loud, self-satisfied voice. Isaac only caught snatches of the words through his own mind's rising panic.   
  
"We are here... prisoners...to be executed... crimes against the state..."   
  
Isaac glanced wildly around, hoping that there would be something, anything that would give him an idea to get out of this mess. He thought he saw movement near the longhouses at the side of the compound, but when he looked back, it was gone.   
  
"And so... these criminals... sentenced to death..."  
  
The General's speech ended, and the drums began beating again. The guards began prodding the first person in the row, Ivan, forward towards the steps. The executioners on the platform reached down and hauled the petrified Jupiter Adept upwards, shoving him forwards and beginning to tie him to a large board protruding from the mechanism. Ivan struggled against their grip, but he too weakened by the drug the guards had given him earlier to provide much resistance. Then the straps were in place, and the board with the Jupiter Adept strapped to it was lowered into the machine. Isaac knew what was going to happen next. He attempted to close his eyes, but found that they seemed to be stuck open. His mind raced and frantic half-formed thoughts rushed through his brain. _No, no, this cannot be happening, no..._  
  
The drumbeats became louder, rising into a crescendo pitch that bored into Isaac's skull and rattled around, threatening to shake him to pieces. His entire world consisted of the drums and the glinting metal blade that hovered feet above his friend's head. He dimly heard running footsteps and voices in the background, but the drums drove any other noises from his mind. The guillotine grinned and tensed, a poised animal ready to strike. The executioner pulled a lever.   
  
Then the blade came down!  
  
  
  
  


--------------------------------------------------------------- 

  
  
Ivan: [reading chapter] O_O   
  
Lalala... Nice ending, isn't it? [grins maniacally]  
  
Ivan: [very pale] How the heck did you convince Sheba to let you get away with _that_ one??? It's her JOB to keep you from writing evil cliffhangers!! [looks around] Where has she gotten to, anyway?  
  
[Muffled banging sounds emerge from the closet]  
  
Who, Sheba? [whistles nonchalantly] I have NO idea where she could be...  
  
Ivan: Readers, you have my permission to hurt Griffin.  
  
Hey, hey, that's going a bit too far! It's only a little cliffhanger...  
  
Ivan: _Little cliffhanger?_ LITTLE CLIFFHANGER?? I'M ABOUT TO BE _EXECUTED_!!!!!!  
  
Oh, look the time! I'd better hurry up and end the chapter, hehehe [clears throat nervously]... Please remember to review! Nonviolently, if you would...   



	13. While You Were Sleeping

[peers out from bomb shelter] Well, I think it's safe to emerge now--  
  
[There is a large angry mob of readers carrying torches, pitchforks, and weapons of mass destruction milling about outside.]  
  
Oh, crud.  
  
Mob: MAIM! DESTROY! MUTILATE!  
  
Eep! [throws out a copy of chapter 13 and dives for cover] Here! Take it! Just don't hurt me!  
  
Mob Member #1: I got it!  
  
Mob Member #4: No! Me!  
  
Mob Member #3: You're both wrong! It's _mine_!  
  
[A huge dust battle follows, with reviewers hitting each other with their torches/pitchforks/WMD and generally causing mayhem. After a prolonged battle which results in the decimation of several major cities and the wounding of an innocent cow, Mob Member #2 comes up victorious with the chapter clutched in his hand.]  
  
Mob Member #5: [with a black eye] Hey! No fair! We want to read it too!  
  
Mob Member #2: [bleeding from severe pitchfork wounds] All right, everyone. I'll read it aloud so we can _all_ hear it. OK?  
  
[The various readers, some still glowing from radiation, nod]  
  
Mob Member #2: [begins to read] "If you are reading this, then most likely you have stopped fighting. Hopefully, by this point I am safely back inside my bomb shelter, and I would kindly ask you not to attempt breaking into it if you wish any more chapters in the future."  
  
Mob Member #3: Aw, man!  
  
Mob Member #1: Ssh! Let him read!  
  
Mob Member #2: "I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reviewed:  
  
**Midnight C, Felix-chan, Miss Black Dragon, E-100 Alpha, Kyarorain, Triad Orion, Vilya, Akiko, Kadevi chan, da cheese, Violette Moon, Feonyx, Alayea, Veilius, 0==|=R=a=g=n=a=r=o=k=, Bubonic Woodchuck, Phishy, Empress Dotdotdot**, **Knightblazer 88, LilAnimeGamer, Yoshimi Takahashi, Shiro Amayagi, Snoopy6458, Virginia Madison, Pizza Girl, Golden Cat**, **Leilani**, **Jupiter Sprite, anonymous, Alexditto, SSJ-Kybok02,**and** Evil Bob.  
  
**Whoa, that's a lot of people! ^__^  
  
For some reason, I got email alerts for reviews that never appeared on the page, and reviews appeared on the page that I didn't get email alerts for... Hopefully whatever was wrong with FF.N is fixed now and reviews on this chapter will all be visible. Anyway, one way or another I received all of your comments, and since they seemed to be unanimous in wanting me to continue as soon as possible, here's Chapter 13!  
  
Many thanks to my good friend ShadowReader for beta reading this chapter for me, even though she doesn't play Golden Sun. Maybe one of these days she'll come 'round...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun, just my own original ideas."  
  
Mob Member #3: Well, _obviously_.  
  
Mob Member #1: Ssh!

----------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 13- While You Were Sleeping  


  
  
  
  
  
The world was nothing to Ivan anymore. It simply existed, a whirl of color and sound pounding outside the shell of his head. All he could feel was fear; cold, undiluted horror that coursed through his veins instead of blood. He wondered if when, in a few moments, the shining blade above his head came slicing down, it would bleed out onto the ground, not red but a bright, icy blue.   
  
The buzz of sound grew louder still, though Ivan paid it no heed. Then a terrible clank of the executioner's lever sounded above the cacophony. A raucous hum rent the very air in two, and somewhere above Ivan knew the blade was falling. He closed his eyes. This was the end.  
  
Then very suddenly, the humming stopped.  
  


------------------------------

  
  
Isaac could barely believe his eyes when a person leapt onto the platform and shouted something just before the deadly blade touched Ivan's neck. A ghostly white hand appeared in a shower of sparks, right in between Ivan and the hungry teeth of the guillotine. The blade stopped, suspended inches from the young mage's neck. Then more people, waving weapons and sporting brightly- colored headbands, jumped onto the wooden dais and pushed the startled executioners off the edge before setting to work cutting the Jupiter Adept loose from the mechanism. Isaac stood frozen, transfixed by the sheer impossibility of the scene he had just witnessed.  
  
The shouts of the guards and the clang of metal on metal brought Isaac back to his senses. He turned, just in time to see the gold-armored soldier beside him slump to the ground. A tall, very familiar red-haired man stepped over the prone figure, grinning widely.  
  
"Garet!" Isaac gasped, still not quite able to comprehend what was going on. One moment, he was waiting in line for execution, and the next, Garet and these strange rescuers appeared apparently from nowhere. The Venus Adept could do nothing but gape at his friend for several seconds, still in shock from the sudden turn of events.  
  
"You didn't think we'd leave you to be prisoners, did you?" Garet said, still smiling. He clapped Isaac heartily on the shoulder, making the younger man's knees buckle. He then set about freeing Isaac's hands from the ropes that tied them.  
  
"Garet! How... What..." Isaac stuttered, his eyes wide. Then he shook his head to clear it. "Never mind, you can tell me later. We've got to help Ivan!"  
  
"He's all right, don't worry," Garet assured him, while absently kicking the fallen guard who had shown signs of reviving. The Mars Adept pointed up at the guillotine platform, where the headband-bedecked strangers continued to work on freeing Ivan from the machine. As Isaac watched, the figures undid the last straps and pulled the Jupiter Adept out from beneath the blade. Their Psynergist released his hold, and the ghostly hand disappeared in a shower of glowing sparks, allowing the metal triangle to crash down right where Ivan's head had rested moments before.  
  
Isaac ran forward, oblivious to the sounds of battle and the skirmishes between the attackers and the Altin soldiers taking place on all sides. He ran up to the platform, just as some of the rescuers led Ivan down the stairs. The Jupiter Adept looked extremely pale, and trembled violently despite his helpers' attempts to steady him. He seemed barely able to stand.  
  
Isaac bounded up the last few steps and pulled his friend into a hug. Fragmented thoughts and emotions wheeled through his brain, finally assembling into one coherent concept. _We're alive!_ He could hardly believe it. He had been so certain, so certain up until a few minutes ago that they were going to... But that did not matter anymore. Ivan was safe, he was safe, he would see Mia, Garet, and everyone else again and all was right in the world.  
  
Realizing that he still had Ivan in a death grip, he released his friend and began bombarding him with comments. "Ivan, are you all right? No, of course you're not, you were almost... I was so worried, Ivan, don't _ever_ do that to me again! Not that you had much choice this time, but-- I'm babbling, aren't I?"  
  
Ivan grinned up at him. Isaac was glad to see it was a real smile, although the Jupiter Adept still looked badly shaken by his ordeal. "'S nice for you to be the babbling one for a change," he said. "You're so quiet it's scary, most of the time."  
  
"Would you mind moving aside, please?" one of the men supporting Ivan asked politely, and Isaac remembered that he was still standing halfway up the steps to the guillotine, blocking the path downward. He quickly stepped out of the way, and Ivan and his helpers managed to navigate the last few steps and leave the platform. The Jupiter Adept sank to the ground at the foot of the stairway, trembling but still smiling. Isaac, now confident that his friend was in no immediate mortal danger, turned to the group of rescuers. 

None of the people seemed particularly familiar to him, though he was sure he had seen one of the men walking randomly around a village at some point. There were three men and two women, all wearing brightly-colored headbands with the word 'LAUGH' printed in bold black letters across them. Isaac wondered briefly what that was supposed to mean, before the last man exited the platform.  
  
It was the Psynergist who had saved Ivan's life by stopping the blade. He was dressed in greens and browns, with a sword by his side. His hair was long, dark, and untidy, tied back in a ponytail. It was unmistakably Felix, looking much older and careworn than the last time Isaac had glimpsed him on the top of the Venus Lighthouse.   
  
"...Felix?" Isaac queried, uncertainly. He wasn't quite sure of this man's motivations. In his own world, Felix was attempting to light the beacons, but in this one... who knew who was on which side? Isaac also wondered if Felix was going to attack him, as most residents of Alternate-Angara seemed inclined to do after learning his identity.   
  
"Hello, Isaac," Felix replied, smiling and extending his hand. "It's been a while."  
  
Isaac took his hand warily. Felix noticed and assured him, "Don't worry, Garet and Mia have told us all about your... circumstances."  
  
Isaac nodded. "Thank you for saving Ivan," he said. "I was worried... no, I was _certain_ he was going to die just now. Talk about split-second timing!"  
  
Felix laughed. "Well, you have to admit it was a very dramatic rescue."  
  
"That's what _you_ think," muttered Ivan, from his position on the ground. "I think I'm going to have a fear of sharp metal objects for the rest of my life."  
  
Footsteps heralded the arrival of Garet, along with the now untied Bernard, Feizhi and Hsu. All three of the freed prisoners' faces wore varying degrees of shock, incredulity, or relief. Bernard seemed the least surprised at their sudden rescue. Isaac wondered if he had perhaps believed his brother would liberate them all along.  
  
"How's Ivan?" Bernard asked, and Ivan nodded at him to show he was all right. Felix turned to Garet.  
  
"Do we have everyone we came to rescue?" he asked.   
  
"Yes," Garet replied.  
  
"How did you get here, anyway?" Isaac asked, looking around. The Altin guards were still battling more of Felix's forces, but seemed to be losing badly, helped on their way by the slaves who had grabbed whatever rocks and tools came to had and started fighting. The main gates were unbarred, and many of the soldiers were fleeing out into the fields. Isaac noticed General Anstolm among them.  
  
"Why don't you go after him, Isaac?" Ivan asked mischievously, also noticing the General. "A fight between you and the leader of the installation would be so _typical_."  
  
Isaac gave him a withering glare. "One, because getting into a completely unnecessary hand-to-hand battle is stupid, and two, I don't even have any Psynergy at the moment."  
  
"He's just making excuses," Ivan grinned. "You know you want too, Isaac."  
  
Isaac scowled.  
  
The rumbling of what sounded like thunder in the distance interrupted their conversation. Felix looked out towards the horizon.  
  
"To answer your question, Isaac," he said, "_That_ is how we got here."  
  
Three magnificent sailing ships soared through a gap in the mountains, looking like large predatory dragons with their carved figureheads and flapping wings. This was apparently what the Altin soldiers believed them to be, as they scattered immediately, completely demoralized. Isaac might have been frightened himself if he hadn't recognized the ships for what they were- Lemurian vessels. Although, as to how they were _flying_...  
  
The ships flew lazily across the countryside and hovered over the main square. Their shadows blocked the morning sunlight from penetrating to the ground. Many of the soldiers and several slaves cowered in terror at the sudden blackout. There was a pause, as all looked up at the amazing sight of wooden seacraft floating in midair. Then a man stuck his head over the railing of the lead ship. He was too distant for Isaac to see clearly, but the Venus Adept could tell he possessed bright blue hair. 

"Ahoy down there!" the man called, waving at the group standing by the guillotine far below.  
  
Felix waved back at him, grinning broadly. "Ahoy! Give us a lift, will you?"  
  
The man moved out of sight, and then something dropped over the side. It fell towards the ground, and Isaac realized it was a rope ladder. Felix caught it neatly, tugging on it to ensure it could support his weight. Meanwhile, several more ladders fell from the ships, landing amid clusters of the resistance fighters.  
  
"Can you climb, Ivan?" Felix asked, surveying the young mage, who still looked very pale. Ivan rose shakily to his feet and nodded.   
  
"I think so..."  
  
"You go first, then," the Venus Adept said, steadying the ladder so Ivan could climb on. "I'll follow behind and catch you if you slip."  
  
Ivan slowly began the ascent, with Felix a few seconds behind him. Isaac waited for them to get a bit higher and then started up himself, leaving Garet to steady the ladder for the others.  
  
It was an interesting experience. Isaac had climbed many ladders before: up cliffs, down wells, and onto his house's roof; but he had never climbed a swaying rope ladder suspended from a flying ship. He was not sure many other people had, either. Still, Isaac was philosophical about the situation. If there could be alternate universes, talking trees, guardian statues that morph into monsters and the innumerable other impossible things he had seen over the course of his quest, then why couldn't there be flying ships?  
  
Upon actually boarding the vessel;, Isaac saw that it was, indeed, of Lemurian make. Although it looked slightly different from Babi's craft, it still had the same distinct streamlined build and, of course, the carved dragon prow. The most noticeable difference between the two vessels was the addition of a large golden cannon perched on an upper deck.  
  
The blue-haired man who had thrown down the ladder helped Isaac over the railing, smiling at him. "Hello, Isaac," he said, gently pulling the Venus Adept out of the way as Feizhi's head popped up behind him. "It's good to see you again."  
  
"Do I... know you?" Isaac asked, wondering who this person could be. The man had cerulean blue hair, held back with a strange-looking headscarf that, like the headbands worn by rest of Felix and Garet's companions, had the world 'LAUGH' printed across the front. He was well built, and had the bearing of a person who had spent many years at sea. His clothing, a light blue tunic and darker shorts, with a blue surcoat over top, had an exotic look about them. The garments blended in perfectly with the ship's architecture. The most startling aspect of the man's appearance, however, were his eyes. They were a golden yellow color that reminded Isaac of a cat's. The Venus Adept felt certain that if he had met this man before, he would have remembered.  
  
"I am Picard of Lemuria," the stranger said, "and I know you, although the situation does not seem to be mutual."  
  
Realization dawned on Isaac. "So _you're_ the Picard we've been chasing all over the Eastern Sea!" he said, smiling. "It's nice to finally meet you."  
  
"Chasing all over the Eastern Sea?" queried Picard. "I assume you're referring to events in your own world."  
  
"Yes," Isaac said. "I guess Garet told you everything, then."  
  
"Yeah, we did," Garet said, emerging over the railing after his brother. Other people began appearing on other parts of the ship as the fighters and the now-freed slaves climbed onboard. The deck quickly became crowded.  
  
"How did you know to come and rescue us?" Isaac asked, turning to Garet. "And where did all these people come from?"  
  
"Well, Gregory and Dylan saw you on the road to Altin," Garet explained. "These people are members of L.A.U.G.H. That's the Lemurian-Angaran United Guerilla Host, before you ask. Felix, Jenna, Sheba and Picard here are the founders. After Mia and I found out about your capture, we decided our escape had been delayed long enough. We headed south, and met up with them. They promised to help us rescue you and so... here we are!"  
  
"And these flying ships?" Isaac asked, looking around. "They look like Lemurian vessels, but the one we have in our world doesn't fly..."  
  
"They are Lemurian ships," Picard said. "It's thanks to the people of Contigo that they can fly."  
  
"Contigo...?" Isaac asked.  
  
"Contigo is a city on the continent of Atteka, in the Western Sea," Garet said. "They have this geoglyph thing there that shows prophecies. Part of it instructs how to build wings so that boats like these can float using Psynergy."   
  
"Felix is at the helm right now," Picard said, pointing to the steering wheel where Felix stood, glowing slightly as he put his Psynergy into the ship. "He took over from me. There has to be an Adept at the helm at all times, because if you stop putting Psynergy into the ship, it starts to sink. Mia and Jenna are steering the other ships."  
  
"Amazing..." Isaac breathed, looking across at the other two floating vessels, their wings flapping lazily as they hovered in the sky above Altin. The dawn sunlight hit the translucent feather-like material of the wings, tinting them a rosy pink hue.  
  
Felix turned from his position at the wheel, calling over his shoulder to where the three Adepts stood talking. "Picard, is everyone onboard?" he shouted. "We should be leaving soon. The Altin soldiers are scattered for now, but it won't be long before they regroup and start trying to fight back."  
  
Picard leaned over the side and surveyed the ground, with Isaac following suit. The bodies of the dead mingled with groups of dazed gold-armored guards. The soldiers were obviously still confused by the sudden attack of the guerilla force, but were attempting to regroup. Several small bands were heading towards the ladders, where the last few slaves and L.A.U.G.H. fighters were climbing to safety.   
  
"Everyone is on the ladders," Picard reported, heading towards the nearest one and beginning to haul it upwards. The two remaining climbers on the ladder soared higher, clinging to the rungs, and caught hold of the deck railing as Picard pulled the ladder in. Other L.A.U.G.H. members hurried to pull up the remaining ladders. Soon, the entire population of former Altin slaves and guerilla fighters were safely on board the three flying ships.  
  
The group drifted apart, preparing for their departure. Picard walked over to Felix and the steering wheel. Garet wandered off in the opposite direction, headed to where his brother stood with Hsu and Feizhi. Isaac looked around, wondering where Ivan had gone. He spotted the Jupiter Adept sitting against the railing near Picard and Felix, and hurried toward him.  
  
"Are you all right?" Isaac asked, sinking into a sitting position beside his friend. Ivan looked considerably better than he had on the ground. He had stopped trembling, and the color was beginning to return to his cheeks. Some thoughtful person had given him a blanket and he had it draped around himself as he sat against the railing, watching Felix and Picard at the ship's helm.  
  
Ivan brushed the question aside. "I'm fine. Are _you_ all right?"  
  
"I'm better than I have been for several days," Isaac said. "Although, I could really use a Psynergy stone right about now. Whatever was in that shot they gave us is pretty potent. I feel like I could sleep for a week and _still _be tired."  
  
"Technically, you're sleeping now," Ivan noted, "but I know what you mean. I'm just about dead on my feet-- err, pardon the expression, Isaac," he added as an afterthought.   
  
"It's all right," Isaac said.   
  
"All hands to your positions!" Felix's voice broke through the conversation. "We're heading out!"  
  
Crewmembers began scurrying in all directions, some directing the freed slaves below decks, others climbing to the high lookout's post, and a few going to man the shining cannon mounted high above. Soon, the deck was mostly clear as the majority of people moved below. Garet, Bernard, Feizhi and Hsu remained on deck, moving over to stand near Isaac and Ivan.  
  
"Now it's time to make sure no one is enslaved in Altin again," Felix said grimly. Turning around he shouted, "Cannon crew, target the cliff face above the mine entrance!"  
  
Isaac watched the events unfold with fascination. He understood what Felix was going to do. The cannon gleamed in the sunlight, a beautiful construct of wood and metal, but no less deadly than the guillotine he had faced just a short while before.  
  
"Fire!" Felix commanded. The cannon flared to life, the enraged dragon of the ship spewing flames to lick the mountainside. A fiery red ball shot from the cannon and hit the cliff with a colossal boom, reducing the rock face to rubble. An avalanche of shale and stone cascaded over the mine entrance as it collapsed from the explosion, effectively sealing it from the outside world. When the dust from the explosion settled, no trace of the tunnel remained amid the pile of debris.   
  
"Now target those buildings!" Felix shouted, and again the cannon roared. A burning cannonball hit the main barracks, collapsing half the structure and setting the rest of the building alight. The soldiers on the ground scrambled to put out the blaze as the cannon boomed out several more times, hitting the headquarters building and some other important edifices. The last shot hit the center of the parade ground. The guillotine on its wooden dais disappeared amid a pile of flaming rubble, never again to take an innocent life.  
  
"Now, let's go," Felix said quietly, watching the fires rage below him. He moved aside, allowing Picard to take the wheel.  
  
Flames licked the morning air in the former prison camp of Altin, sweeping through the compound and cremating the bodies of the fallen littering the ground. High above the scene of chaos, the little fleet of Lemurian ships began to turn, winging their way silently out of the valley and heading for the ocean, Lalivero, and home.  
  


------

  
  
The fires still burned in Altin, but General Anstolm did not care. Seething with rage, he caught hold of the nearest soldier.  
  
"Where is Sergeant Berkeley and his men?" the general barked at the startled private. The gold-armored man pointed frantically in the direction of the burning mess hall and then scampered off, not wanting to stay near his general when he was in such a foul mood.  
  
The general took off towards the mess hall at a run, ignoring the groans of wounded soldiers that he passed. This battle had been a complete disaster thus far. His lord Isaac would not be pleased at all. The slaves escaping, at least a score of men dead, and Altin up in flames... Anstolm did not even want to imagine the punishment he would receive from his lord. However... he still had one last weapon at his disposal. The general knew that his career and probably his life hinged on this final gambit.  
  
"Sergeant!" he shouted, reaching the burning building. Teams of soldiers with buckets were attempting to calm the blaze, without much success. Their leader turned to face Anstolm.  
  
"Yes, General?" he said, saluting smartly.  
  
"Take ten men and head up to the aviary immediately," the general ordered.  
  
"But, sir..." Sergeant Berkeley said, hesitantly, "What about the mess hall?"  
  
"Leave it! It can be rebuilt! It is more important that we stop those slaves! I want you to get up to the aviary as fast as you can and release the gryphons!"  
  


------

  
  
Ivan peered out into space, watching the clouds soar by on eye level as the ship sailed over the mountains. He had never before experienced a sensation quite like this. The wind whipped past his face, tossing his blonde hair about as it danced over the deck and finally dived once more into the void of the sky. The Jupiter Adept stood on the prow of the Lemurian ship at the place where the winds blew the hardest as he surveyed the countryside. From up high, this Weyard did not look so different from his own. The fields were browner, yes, but the mountains were majestic and snowcapped, the sky was bright blue and dotted with cottony clouds, and the sun was as golden as ever. Ivan forgot all about his problems as he gazed upon the misty valleys and the snowy peaks of the mountain ranges. His worries about the future were ripped from his mind by the playful breeze and he reviled in the simple joy of being alive to see this glorious day.  
  
Isaac emerged from the cabin where he had just been talking with Felix and spotted Ivan silhouetted against the morning sky. The Jupiter Adept had one hand on the dragon figurehead, using it to help steady himself as he stood on the ship's railing and leaned out farther into space than Isaac thought safe. The Venus Adept walked up to join his friend, although he was a bit tentative about standing in such a precarious place so far off the ground. Though he was attempting to enjoy this flight, Isaac was still an earth Adept and therefore had a natural aversion to high places. He tried to suppress it but there were times, such as while standing at the prow of a ship flying hundreds of feet off the ground and being hit by gale force winds, that instinct attempted to take over. Therefore, Isaac was a bit more on edge than his Jupiter friend when he reached the front of the ship.  
  
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Ivan said cheerfully, without turning around.   
  
"It is now," Isaac agreed, eyeing his friend's hazardous position. "Er... would you mind getting down from there? It's making me nervous."  
  
Ivan jumped off the railing, laughing. "You worry too much, Isaac. I was perfectly safe."  
  
"Yeah, that's what you say _now_." Isaac muttered. "You would've been singing a different tune if your hand had slipped and you'd fallen. Here." He pressed a small yellow star, with a fragment of purple crystal embedded in the center into Ivan's palm. "This is for you. Should help get your energy back, although it looks like you've already accomplished that."  
  
Ivan closed his fist around the psy crystal. It glowed bright golden as the energy it contained was absorbed into the Jupiter Adept's skin, replenishing his depleted Psynergy. Its power now drained, the crystal dissolved, leaving only a fine golden residue on Ivan's palm which he brushed off onto his tunic.  
  
"Thanks, Isaac," the boy said, feeling his Psynergy coursing through his mind, a very welcome sensation after months of wearing a dampening collar. He had forgotten how wonderful it felt to have full Psynergy reserves to call upon. It was as if he was on a sugar rush; except, Ivan remembered, he hadn't eaten anything all morning.   
  
"I'm _hungry_," he whined, giving Isaac his most innocent look. "I haven't had anything since last night! Isn't there anything to eat, Isaac?"  
  
Isaac rolled his eyes, but nodded. "I'm a bit hungry myself, now that you mention it. I'll go ask Felix, maybe there's something in the galley we can have, like-- _duck!_"  
  
"Duck?" Ivan said, bemused. "Well, that might be interesting, but wouldn't you rather have cereal or toast or somethi-"  
  
But Isaac was not listening to him. He tacked his friend around the knees, pulling him to the ground just as a sharp beak sliced down where Ivan's head had been moments before. Screeching, the monster who owned the beak wheeled away, circling around the mast and turning for another approach.  
  
Ivan rolled to his feet quickly, moaning, "What is it with sharp objects and my head today?" before having to throw himself to the deck again as another monster dived at him. The Jupiter mage summoned a lightning bolt as the creature struck, forcing it to turn and hover just off the side of the ship.  
  
Isaac gazed at the scene in shock. Where before there had been clear blue sky now flew dozens of monsters. Isaac recognized them; they were wild gryphons like those he had fought near the Venus Lighthouse. They were not terribly dangerous alone, but in groups... The creatures floated just out of range of Psynergy spells, as if waiting for some signal to attack again. Sunlight glistened off their pure white feathers and the delicate gold of their lion's torso and cruel eagle beaks. Isaac noticed that these creatures were not exactly like those he had fought before. These gryphons were slightly larger, and wore heavy black spike-studded collars.  
  
Then there was no more time for observation. The monsters charged, rending the air with their screams and beating their eagle wings madly against the wind. One swooped down on Isaac, who blasted it in the face with a shower of stone spires. The gryphon screeched, temporarily blinded, and Isaac seized the opening by grabbing a nearby barrel and smashing it over the dazed creature's head. It slumped to the deck, dead, a trickle of blood emerging from its nostrils.  
  
Isaac picked up a long stave from the ruined barrel and dashed to Ivan's aid. The Jupiter Adept was fending off three gryphons at once with Spark Plasma attacks. Coming up behind the monsters, Isaac brained one with his stave and tripped another, making it collapse, squawking, to the ground. Grabbing Ivan's wrist with one hand and fending off the third gryphon's attack with the other, Isaac pulled his friend out of harm's way and back down onto the main deck, where other fighters had gathered.   
  
"You two all right?" Picard called from his position at the wheel. Three L.A.U.G.H. fighters surrounded him, fending off gryphons with their weapons as he steered the ship.   
  
"Yes," Isaac replied, firing off a Ragnarok at a gryphon that got too close. "Where did all these monsters come from?"  
  
"I believe," Picard said, taking his hand off the wheel long enough to aim a shower of ice shards at a nearby monster, "that they were sent."  
  
"Sent?" Isaac queried. "By Altin, you mean? But that's impossible! You can't train monsters!"  
  
"It is possible that the Altin soldiers may have developed some sort of rudimentary control over the creatures," Picard said calmly, as if they were sitting around a table discussing the weather instead of being attacked by bloodthirsty monsters. "Seeing as they have developed Psynergy-dampening collars, they might have been able to adapt the design somehow to direct the gryphons' behavior. Obviously, whatever control they do have is incomplete, or there would be soldiers riding them right now."   
  
Isaac did not bother asking how Picard had managed to figure that out while simultaneously steering a flying ship and fighting off gryphons.   
  
"On your left, Isaac," Ivan warned, zapping a creature that was attempting to pounce on the Venus Adept. Isaac was having a difficult time fighting, as most of his Psynergy depended on causing earthquakes, a power entirely useless when not on the ground. He therefore had to rely mostly on his Ragnarok and Stone Spire attacks. Also, his Psynergy stores, only recently refilled by a Psy Crystal, were decreasing rapidly. He had always relied more on his sword than his spellwork in battle, and now, without a blade to fall back on, he found himself tiring from the large amount of Psynergy he was forced to use.  
  
"Thanks," Isaac said, catching his breath as the monsters momentarily retreated, flying to regroup off the side of the ship again. The deck was littered with monster carcasses, but there were also several L.A.U.G.H. members among the fallen.  
  
"I'm going to see if we can reach the ocean and touch down," Picard said. "It'll be much easier to fight these monsters off if we don't have to worry about crashing the ship the whole time."  
  
"Right," Isaac said. "We'll hold off the gryphons for you." He, Ivan, and the three L.A.U.G.H. fighters moved in to form a tight protective circle around the Lemurian.  
  
Picard spun the wheel, sending the ship into a dive. Ahead, the ocean glimmered like a radiant jewel. The ship sailed ever closer to the water. Picard concentrated intently on maintaining control of the descent, rings of Psynergetic light surrounding him as he powered the vessel.  
  
The gryphons, seeing their quarry attempting to escape, wheeled about and charged the deck. Sailors scattered as they attacked their prey, talons and beaks ripping at unprotected human flesh. Isaac ignored the screams of his fellow fighters, concentrating on preventing the monsters from breaking through to where Picard steered the ship.   
  
A cry from close behind him made Isaac turn. One of the guerilla fighters had fallen, blood staining the deck from a large wound in her chest. A giant gryphon stood over her, lowering its beak to finish her off. As Isaac started forward to help the woman, another gryphon flew at him, sending him sprawling to the deck. The creature, now through the defensive perimeter, charged at the unprotected Picard.  
  
Isaac scrambled to his feet, but it was already too late. The gryphon shrieked, jumping on the Lemurian with talons outstretched. Picard flew backwards from his post with the force of the impact, smashing headlong into a nearby railing. He lay quite still.  
  
The gryphon turned on Isaac, screaming a victory cry that chilled the Venus Adept to the bone. He had to act quickly. Spotting the fallen woman's sword lying a few feet away, he rolled to avoid the deadly beak, scooping up the blade along the way. Standing up again quickly, he saw the monster turning to attack him again. He charged forward, raising his sword, and struck!  
  
The blade sliced cleanly through the bone and sinew of the gryphon's neck. Blood poured from the severed stump as the creature's head fell to the deck, its former body crumpling down alongside it a few moments later. Ivan, who was heading towards the fallen Picard, paused for a moment and looked down at the dead monster.  
  
"Payback?" he queried.  
  
"Quite," Isaac replied.  
  
The Venus Adept turned and hurried with Ivan to Picard's side. Ivan picked up the motionless Lemurian's wrist and felt for a pulse.  
  
"He's still alive," he reported. "Unconscious, though. He'll probably have a killer migraine when he wakes up." Suddenly, Ivan's head snapped up, his purple eyes staring into Isaac's blue ones.  
  
"Isaac," he asked, "Who's steering the ship?"  
  
An icicle dropped into Isaac's stomach. He turned to look at the steering wheel. It stood empty. The other combatants had moved to the opposite end of the deck, driving off the remaining gryphons. The ship felt uncomfortably tilted to Isaac all of a sudden, as he realized that the vessel was still diving downwards towards the ocean, losing more altitude every second.  
  
Isaac and Ivan glanced at each other, and then, at the same time, dashed for the steering wheel. Ivan reached it first by virtue of his superior Jupiter reflexes. Grabbing hold of the wooden circle, he pulled up hard.  
  
Nothing happened. The ship continued its kamikaze dive unaffected.   
  
"It didn't work!" Isaac shouted over the roar of the onrushing wind and the battle noises from above.   
  
"How're you supposed to make this thing go _up_ when the wheel only turns _left and right_?" Ivan muttered.  
  
Isaac took the wheel from his friend's grasp, looking at it. "I think you channel your Psynergy into it, like we do on our ship!" he said.  
  
"Try!" Ivan said, desperation in his voice.  
  
Isaac placed his hands on the wheel, closing his eyes and willing his Psynergy to the front of his mind. His stores were severely depleted from the battle. He could only hope he still had enough to save the ship. Concentrating hard, he pushed the energy forward, out of his mind and into the wheel beneath his fingers.  
  
_Up... up ... _he thought, desperately. _Please, please go up...  
  
_ The ship shuddered.  
  
_That's it... Up... away... now...  
  
_ The vessel lurched once, and then began to level out. The sparkling ocean that had been visible over the prow disappeared, replaced by clear blue sky and clouds.  
  
"You did it!" Ivan shouted, jumping up and down. "You saved us!"  
  
"Yeah..." Isaac said, embarrassed at his friend's outburst. "Now go find Felix or someone, will you? I can't hold this for long..."  
  
Ivan obligingly dashed off.  
  


------

  
  
Isaac awoke in his cabin in the real world with Mia by his side, feeling happier than he had for many, many mornings now. He lay in bed, unmoving, savoring the warmth of the sheets and the sound of Mia's steady breathing somewhere near his ear. She had curled herself around him protectively, as if by her presence she could halt his death. Isaac smiled, running his fingers through her aquamarine hair. She wouldn't have to worry about him dying anymore-- well, at least until the next time they met some monsters.  
  
"Isaac?" Mia said, opening her blue eyes and staring into his own. "Is it morning? What happened?" Panic and confusion entered those eyes.  
  
"It's all right, Mia," he assured her. "Garet and Felix showed up at the very last moment. Ivan and I are both fine."  
  
Relief washed across her features. "Really? So you're not going to..."  
  
Isaac smiled. "Not anytime soon."  
  
The cabin door creaked open, and a head with spiky red hair poked in, asking softly, "Mia? Are you in here?"  
  
"Yes, she is," Isaac answered, sitting up and grinning at the Mars Adept. Mia sat up as well, looping her arm around the Venus Adept's waist and resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
Garet eyed his two friends nervously. "Um... I suppose this means you managed to pull off another miraculous escape, Isaac..." His red eyes darted from Isaac, to Mia, to the bed they were sitting on, and then back to Isaac. "...I'll just leave you two alone for a while, then, shall I?" And with that, he retracted his head, shutting the door quickly behind him.  
  
As soon as the door closed, both Isaac and Mia burst out laughing.  
  
"You don't think Garet really believes we were...you know..." Mia asked, after their laughter had subsided somewhat.   
  
"Nah," Isaac assured her. "He was probably just frightened off by the fact that we were touching. You've seen how he reacts whenever we kiss."  
  
Mia nodded, smiling, and wrapped her other arm around him as well. "I'm just glad you're all right, Isaac," she whispered.   
  
They kissed, then; a different sort of kiss than the ones they shared the previous day. Those were created by desperation; this one, relief.  
  
"Come on," Isaac said, reluctantly breaking the kiss a short while later. "We'd better go, before Garet's overactive imagination kicks in."  
  
He stood up, offered a hand to help Mia to her feet, and the pair exited the room arm in arm.  
  


------------------------------

Outside, the deck glistened in the midday sun, turning the golden-brown polished deck almost blindingly bright as Isaac carefully steered the ship. It was much easier to control a vessel in water than one in the air, he mused, as the borrowed Lemurian craft easily skimmed the whitecaps. Granted, the speed was not as great, but at least one did not have to worry about falling.  
  
The day had turned into a particularly beautiful one. There were no clouds in sight, and the breeze was just enough to cool the Adepts from the blazing heat of the noon sun above them. Isaac tilted the wheel slightly to follow the Indran coastline, humming a wordless song as the ship obligingly altered course according to his command. He had no idea where they were going, but at the moment, he didn't really care.  
  
"Cliffs ahead!" came Garet's voice from the lookout's post. Isaac could see them just off in the distance. They had been here before, looking for a route to the Western Ocean. They had been severely disappointed to find a giant rock blocking their path. Isaac steered the ship in the direction of the cliffs, although he knew it was pointless-- a boulder that big could never be moved. Still, he sailed the ship down the narrow channel between the bluffs, wondering if by some miracle the rock had disappeared.  
  
It had.  
  
Isaac stared at the spot where the stone used to be in amazement. "Garet! Mia! Come down here!" he shouted. Garet immediately began scrambling down the lookout ladder, slipped on a rung in his haste, and fell several feet to the ground. Mia, who had been standing at the opposite end of the deck, passed him, muttered something about clumsy boys, cast a quick Ply, and hurried on to Isaac. Garet picked himself up and followed her, rubbing his head.  
  
"What is it?" the Mars Adept asked, grumpily. "I hope it was worth falling to get over here so fast."  
  
"Look!" Isaac said, pointing at the now boulder-less channel.  
  
"Yeah?" Garet asked, peering at the empty space. "It's water, Isaac. There's a lot of it in the ocean."  
  
"No, you blockhead," Isaac said excitedly, pointing to the spot and jumping up and down in his excitement. "It's not what's _there_, it's what's _not_ there! See?"  
  
"No."  
  
"The _boulder_, Garet, the boulder's gone! Remember last time we came here?" Isaac said, still bouncing.  
  
"Oh!" Garet exclaimed, finally understanding. "And stop bouncing, will you? You're acting like a Jupiter Adept."  
  
"So now we can get to the Great Western Sea at last!" Mia said, looking past the empty space to where the glimmer of open ocean shone through the gap in the cliffs.   
  
"But what happened to the boulder?" Garet asked.  
  
Isaac steered the ship forward a few feet, and the three Adepts went to peer over the side. Deep below the water, they could make out the smooth rounded surface of a rock, right where the giant stone had once stood.  
  
"It looks like it's been grounded down or something," Mia remarked.  
  
"But what could do something like _that_?" Garet asked. "It'd take _ages_ to grind a rock that big!"  
  
"...Not if you used Psynergy..." Isaac mused. The other two looked at him.  
  
"What sort of Psynergy could grind down a boulder?" Mia said.  
  
"Something earth-related, probably," Isaac answered. "Which means... unless there's another Venus Adept running around that we don't know about, we're finally back on Felix's trail."  
  
"So what're we standing around here for?" Garet asked. "Let's go!"  
  
And so the Adepts resumed their journey, the future looking much brighter for them now than it had for several long weeks.  
  
  
  


-----------------------------

Mob Member #2: And that's the end of the chapter.  
  
Mob Member #1: What? Already??  
  
Mob Member #4: We want more!  
  
Mob Member #6: Yeah! MORE!  
  
Mob: WE WANT MORE NOW! WE WANT MORE NOW! WE WANT MORE NOW!  
  
[The bomb shelter doors open a crack.]  
  
I didn't end it with a cliffhanger! You have no right to be angry! Just go away, and leave me in peace!  
  
Mob: MORE! MORE! MAIM DESTROY MUTILATE! MORE!  
  
[The bomb shelter doors slam shut as the mob mobs them. Booms of WMD are heard as the readers attempt to blast the shelter open.]  
  
[muttering from somewhere in the darkness of the shelter] Readers... never satisfied... Well, review, please...  
  
Mob: MAIM MUTILATE DESTROY!!!!  



	14. And the World is About to Turn

Disclaimer: Hey, why do we even have to put these things here? I haven't seen a rule anywhere... Maybe it's just common courtesy, but still, it can get annoying to read all these disclaimers when you already know the author doesn't own whatever they're disclaiming, especially disclaimers like this one that ramble on forever and basically say nothing except that I don't own Golden Sun and don't sue me because I have no money. Don't you hate it when people do that...?  
  


----------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 14- And the World is About to Turn...  
  
  


The winged ship touched down in Lalivero Harbor without further incident, much to the relief of Isaac and Ivan. Neither felt they could take any more excitement any time soon. Even Ivan was relieved to be safely back on the ground, although he refused to admit that fact.  
  
A large crowd waited at the docks to greet the returning heroes. There were hundreds of spectators, but conspicuous at the forefront was a slightly built female with blonde hair. She had her arms crossed angrily and wore a very potent scowl.  
  
"Oh, no..." Felix muttered, as Picard guided the ship towards the pier. "Sheba's on the warpath... Hide me!" He ducked behind the Lemurian, who rolled his eyes.  
  
"She's your wife, Felix. You're going to have to face her sooner or later."  
  
"Wife? Sheba and _Felix_?" Ivan said, looking scandalized. "When did _that_ happen?"  
  
"Well, he did jump off a lighthouse for her..." Isaac commented.  
  
Felix looked confused. "Jump off a lighthouse? What are you talking about?"  
  
"...At the Venus Lighthouse?" Isaac said. "Sheba fell off and you jumped after her?" Seeing Felix's blank look, he shook his head. "Never mind... Things must have happened differently in your world."  
  
"Sheba never fell off..." Felix answered, puzzled. "But she did, in your world? And I jumped off after her? What was I _thinking_?"  
  
Isaac laughed. "I honestly have no idea. Everything worked out all right, though, 'cause you landed in the ocean... But if Sheba didn't fall off the lighthouse here, then what _did_ happen?" Isaac was aware that he was venturing into dangerous waters with this subject, but he was curious as to how things had played out.  
  
"When we saw your friend Ivan was injured, Sheba and I tried to go and help you," Felix said, his eyes growing distant as he peered back into the depths of memory. "The lighthouse split apart, though, and we couldn't reach you. By the time it came back together again, it was... too late."  
  
Ivan fidgeted a little, obviously uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. However, Felix was lost in his memories now, and didn't notice.   
  
"Then you-- er, the other Isaac, I mean," the Venus Adept continued, "said that he wanted to help light the lighthouses. Garet and Mia were reluctant at first, but you-he- persuaded them. We found Babi's ship and set out in search of Jenna, Alex, and Kraden, who had gotten lost when Idejima was swept out to sea. We found them eventually, but then the ship ran aground and we had to find another one. That's when we met Picard."  
  
"I was in jail," Picard commented.  
  
"Yes, you were," Felix said. He smiled at the memory. "Simply because that headband of yours made the villagers think you were a pirate. What idiots those Madrans were... But anyway...w managed to get him released by catching the real pirates and then used his ship to voyage to the other lighthouses. And then... well, you know the rest."  
  
"Things were better back then, before the Lighthouses were lit..." Picard said, staring listlessly into space, which Isaac did not think was a very safe thing to do as he was still steering the ship. "Well, for Felix, Sheba, Jenna and I, anyway. Garet and Mia were still too distraught, and Isaac, well..."  
  
"He was becoming... colder." Felix said, shuddering slightly at the thought. "Slowly at first, but it was still noticeable. He was more distant than normal, and rarely talked--"  
  
"Not like Isaac talks now," Ivan interjected. Isaac glared at him.  
  
"Once he got the power of the Stone of Sages, the transformation was complete," Felix said, sadly. "Whatever Isaac was left in him died. What is there now is nothing but an empty shell."  
  
Isaac remained silent, staring at the approaching dock where so many people stood waiting for them to arrive. Most of them had been driven from their homelands, had their livelihoods destroyed and families broken apart, all because of him. It was his fault. What would they say, when he got off the ship? How could he face them?  
  
"Why do you trust me, then?" Isaac asked quietly. "Why do you trust me, when I'm the same as him? I could end up the exact same way!"  
  
Felix stepped forwards and placed his hand on Isaac's shoulder. The younger Venus Adept looked up into his brown eyes, marveling on how much graver and more mature Felix had become. He looked like a general, a commander of armies, a leader. Isaac, the head decision-maker on this adventure since the beginning, suddenly felt as if he could follow Felix anywhere. He wondered if this was the same way Ivan, Mia, and Garet viewed himself.  
  
"You are not him, Isaac," Felix said sternly. "You do not have to apologize for his doings, nor feel guilty over what he has caused. You are the true Isaac, the person worthy to bear that name." He began to pace the deck, continuing to soliloquize. "For years, we have been waiting for the time to attack the castle and reclaim Weyard as our own. However, something always stopped us. There was something missing from our battle plan, something necessary that without our possessing it, we would have no hope of winning. Now I realize that the something is you, Isaac. You are all that he is not, the goodness he strove to eliminate from his soul. You ask me how I can trust you? Truly, when I first heard about your appearance from Garet and Mia, I did not. However, my meeting you has changed that. I saw how you stood bravely in face of the Guillotine, how you fought off the gryphons that attacked our ship. And I also saw your remorse when our soldiers were injured. He would not have done these things, Isaac. That is what made me trust you."  
  
Felix offered his hand, and Isaac took it, smiling. It truly meant something that this man would be willing to trust him after everything his counterpart had made him suffer. However, Isaac could not simply forget the things his doppelganger had done. Looking on this world still made him feel guilty, as if he himself had ruined it. Felix and the others might call him foolish, but he knew why it affected him this way. It was because he knew his heart-- and there was a part of if which would not hesitate to cause harm.  
  
And it was this part of him he would eventually have to face.  
  
At last, the ship arrived at the port. Willing hands set about lashing the flying ship securly to the dock as the other two boats nosed into the harbor. Sailors lowered the gangplank and hurried onto land, into the arms of their waiting families.   
  
Felix slunk off the ship, attempting to hide from Sheba behind Picard. However, the Lemurian pulled his friend out from behind him, and the unfortunate Venus Adept was quickly spotted.  
  
"FELIX!" Sheba shouted, and Felix shot Picard a glare as she hurried towards them. Sheba walked right up to Felix and slapped him across the face.  
  
"Ow!" he exclaimed.  
  
"That was for leaving me here," she snapped. Then, she abruptly grabbed him and kissed him passionately. "And that..." she said a few moments later, breaking off the kiss, "was for coming back."  
  
"Thanks a lot, Sheba," Felix said dryly, but he looped his arm around her waist as he turned to address the others. "Sheba, this is Isaac and Ivan," he said, by way of introduction. "Isaac and Ivan, this is Sheba, my wife."  
  
"Pleased to meet you," Isaac said, and extended his hand. Sheba took it, smiling. She then turned to Ivan and shook his hand as well. However, Isaac couldn't help noticing that she looked at the Jupiter Adept rather strangely. Isaac thought it must be because the last time she had seen him, he had been dying.   
  
Their introductions were interrupted by the arrival of Garet, Bernard Hsu, and Feizhi, along with Jenna and Mia. More introductions were conducted and Mia hugged Ivan tightly, admonishing him for getting himself into mortal danger.   
  
"It's not like we got captured on purpose!" Ivan said, embarrassed.   
  
"Still, you should be more careful!" she insisted. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you!"  
  
"All right, Mia, I will," Ivan conceded, wriggling slightly as she held him in a tight embrace. "Now, could you let go of me? Please?"  
  
Mia complied, and then the entire group of Adepts moved off towards the center of the city. Isaac marveled at the atmosphere as he walked. All around them were cheerful, laughing people, hugging their families and engaging in conversation. People in this city were entirely different from those of the rest of Alternate-Angara. Even Garet and Mia seemed entirely different from the two people he had bid farewell to in Vale. Their faces were less careworn, their attitudes less melancholy. They were beginning to act more like their true selves.  
  
As they entered the old heart of the city, buildings began to look familiar to Isaac. There was the stone obelisk in the center of the pond, close by the Inn and Faran's house. However, the rest of the landscape had changed. The small building where Babi had parked his ship was now the vast docks they had just emerged from, and the old crumbled walls were gone, replaced by rows and rows of new buildings. People darted through the square, their clothing a kaleidoscope of colors and styles: the colorful garb of Apojii Islanders, long, flowing white Gondowanian robes, ordinary peasant doublets, and all around the bright headbands bearing the LAUGH logo. In just a few short years, Lalivero had grown from a tiny desert village to a sprawling multicultural city.  
  
"Welcome to Lalivero, home city of the Lemurian-Angaran United Guerilla Host!" Felix said grandly, throwing wide his arms. It was the kind of gesture that, in a play, would be accompanied by a trumpet fanfare. Unfortunately, this was real life, and in the absence of music the motion fell rather flat.   
  
"Um... anyway..." Felix said, attempting to recover the conversation.   
  
He was saved further embarrassment by the shouts of children. Turning, the group saw four small figures running towards them at high speed, followed by a haggard-looking middle-aged woman carrying a bundle. "Children, slow down!" she called, but they paid her no heed as they streaked towards their parents.   
  
"Daddy!" A little brown haired girl with a round face and large chocolate eyes ran at Felix. He scooped her into his arms, saying, "Hello, Tierra, did you miss me?"  
  
Gregory, Dylan, and Rose reached the group as well, launching themselves at Garet and Mia. Mia pulled Rose into her arms, looking much happier now that her family was reunited.  
  
The middle-aged woman ground to a halt, panting slightly as she apologized. "I'm sorry, they got away from me," she said, handing the bundle to Sheba. "Here's your baby, Sheba," she said. Isaac could now see that the bundle was actually a baby boy, no more than a week or so old.  
  
"Thank you, Miriam," Sheba said to the nurse, taking the child tenderly into her arms.   
  
"Come on inside, everyone," Felix said, motioning to the group with the hand that wasn't supporting his daughter. "We have a lot to talk about."  
  
The small group of people jeaded towards Faran's home, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the marketplace and the bright Gondowanian sunshine for the dim, cool indoors.  
  
  
  


-------------------------  
  
  
  


Ivan wandered aimlessly through the streets of Lalivero, feeling despondent. It was late in the afternoon of their arival in Lalivero, and he was going for a walk to explore the city. However, he was paying little attention to the scenery as thoughts darted through his head. Felix had talked to them for a while, explaining in more detail about the situation in Alternate Weyard, and the talk had made Ivan slip back into a darker mode of thinking. Certainly, the future seemed much less bleak than it had a few days ago, but he could not shake nasty feeling that he was never going to escape this universe. He had remained in this nightmare for over a month now, and they still had no explanation, no plan, and no end in sight.   
  
Ivan turned a corner and walked down a deserted side street, not knowing or caring where he was headed. They still did not truly know _why_ this was happening to them. Kraden's explanation of energy surges happening to occur at the same time and creating this parallel dimension did not seem very plausible. If the development of alternate universes was completely random, then why hadn't they been created before? What would stop another one from forming? None of the pieces fit together properly. Oh, on the surface it seemed reasonable, but when you peered at it closely, the explanation began to crumble apart. And that led to the most disturbing conclusion of all-- someone had created this place for a reason. Moreover, that person was not too concerned with keeping Isaac and Ivan alive to figure the reason out.  
  
The young Jupiter Adept was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice he had entered a graveyard until he tripped over a tombstone. He landed on the ground in an ungraceful heap, his shins throbbing from slamming into the marble tablet. Cheeks burning, Ivan quickly glanced around to see if anyone had witnessed his very un-Jupiter like bout of clumsiness, but there were no bystanders in sight.  
  
Ivan swallowed his wounded pride and stood up, ignoring the pain in his lower legs where he knew bruises would surely form. He had not remembered this graveyard from his last visit to Lalivero. However, judging by his location, this plot of land was outside the original Laliveran town boundaries and the houses around it had been built within the past nine years. In all probability, this graveyard had stood here for generations, but the town had only recently grown to encircle it.  
  
Some of the graves did seem ancient, confirming Ivan's theory. Some of the dates of death even stretched back to two centuries previous. There were a large number of fresh graves as well, Ivan noted with disconsolation. One on the very end caught his eye. It looked very recent; the dirt was newly turned. The name carved in the stone was that of a woman. Ivan wondered if this was perhaps the LAUGH warrior that had fought alongside them on the ship.  
  
Ivan continued down the row of headstones, pausing here and there to look at dates. Most of the recent graves seemed to have died young, casualties in the ongoing war for Weyard's freedom. Ivan reached the end of the row and was about to turn onto the next when another grave caught his eye. It was small and plain, set a bit apart from the neatly arranged rows of the newer section of the cemetery. It was not large or overly eye-catching in appearance, but something about it drew him to it. He stepped up to read the inscription, both wondering and already knowing what he would find there.  
  
The grave was made of plain gray stone, with a single word and a pair of dates chiseled into its surface. The dates were some fifteen years apart, the death date being about nine years previous. The name read simply, "Ivan."  
  
Ivan knew he shouldn't be surprised. He had been half-expecting this ever since entering the graveyard. After all, he had died near here... Ivan looked down at the dirt beneath his feet. It was very disconcerting to think that just a few feet below him lay the dead remains of himself.  
  
Ivan shuddered slightly and moved a few paces to the side. Being a Jupiter Adept, he did not much like the idea of being buried beneath feet of cold soil. He decided to tell Isaac that when he died, he wanted to be cremated... although that could wait for a while. Bringing up the topic of his dying with Isaac was probably not a good idea at the moment.  
  
Sitting down on a sandy spot beside the grave, Ivan wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knee. This whole situation was bizarre. Here he was, alive and well, and a few feet below him lay his corpse. Ivan began to wonder if, after this quest ended, he would still have his sanity. After all that was happening to him, he highly doubted it.  
  
That was providing, however, that they did manage to complete their quest. It was highly likely that they would die before they could finish. It was also possible that he and Isaac would be unable to leave the alternate universe and be stuck here for the rest of their lives. Ivan pulled his knees closer towards his body. He had no desire to be trapped here forever. This world was too strange, too frightening, too contradictory to his own.  
  
_There's only one thing to do_, Ivan realized. He must stop moping around feeling sorry for himself and work to get out of this situation. And if no solution could be found... he would face that issue when it arose. For now, he would put his trust in Isaac and work towards freeing this world and returning to his own.  
  
Ivan stood up, brushing sandy soil from his trousers and gazing at the simple inscription on the grave before him. He brushed away some of the dirt collected on the tombstone's top. Looking down at his name inscribed on the grave, he said, "Your duty to the world has ended, but mine has just begun. I promise you that I'll do everything I can to fix this situation, and prevent my world from becoming like yours."  
  
With his words still hanging in the still air, Ivan turned around and, solemnly and silently, left the graveyard.  
  
  
  


-------------------------  
  


  
  
Mia was having a typical day. She awoke at seven, admonished Garet for eating more than his fair share of breakfast, and then checked on Ivan. As the resident healer, she felt obliged, to look in on him from time to time, though she knew it made no difference. Ivan always lay in the same position, only his slow, steady breathing indicating that he was still alive.  
  
Mia carefully shut the door of Ivan's room and walked along the hall into the main room. It was time for the next part of her routine. She would read one of the books from the ship's library for a few hours, most likely be interrupted by Garet having some sort of accident, and then fix lunch. Meals were also her responsibility, out of the sheer necessity for survival. Mia didn't know how the boys had managed before she had joined them, as Ivan was convinced lightning could be used to cook food, Isaac had a tendency to use way too much salt, and anything Garet attempted to fix ended up a lump of inedible charcoal.   
  
Mia was settling down into an armchair with a book of ancient Lemurian poetry when the door to the lower decks opened. Isaac emerged, looking extremely worried.  
  
"What's wrong, Isaac?" Mia asked, alarmed. "Did something happen last night?"  
  
"Huh?" Isaac asked, looking up, "Oh, no.... Mia, look at this!" He held out his hands. Cupped inside were seven small, furry, and unmoving brown objects. "What's wrong with them?"  
  
Mia's eyes widened and she stood up, taking all seven motionless Venus Djinn from Isaac's grasp. She set them down on a side-table, bending over to inspect them more closely.   
  
"Well, they seem to be alive, at least," she pronounced after a few seconds. "They're breathing..." She stroked a Djinni gently with her index finger, but the tiny creature did not stir. "How long have they been like this?"  
  
Isaac shifted uncomfortably. "Err... well..."  
  
"You don't know, do you?" Mia said, looking at him disapprovingly. "Isaac, when was the last time you remember them being awake?"  
  
"Um... over a month ago..." Isaac admitted.   
  
"And I suppose you were doing something today and you found them wedged in the bottom of your pack, is that it?" Mia asked sharply. When he nodded, she continued. "Isaac, how could you be so negligent? It's a good thing Djinn don't need to eat or they'd have starved by now!"  
  
"I've had other things on my mind!" Isaac said defensively.   
  
"That's no excuse," Mia retorted, in a voice that reminded Isaac strongly of his mother. "Djinn are like pets, Isaac. If you don't take care of them, they're not going to last very long!"  
  
This analogy did nothing to comfort Isaac. He had only owned a pet once before, when he was six. Somehow, the goldfish had managed to drown.  
  
Mia, apparently satisfied that Isaac understood the error of his ways, once again bent over the motionless Djinn. Her hands glowed faintly blue and a small fairy appeared in midair, spreading healing dust over the seven small creatures. They did not react.  
  
"Hmm..." Mia muttered, prodding a Djinni gently.   
  
"Can you tell what's wrong with them?" Isaac asked.  
  
"No idea," she replied, shaking her head. "Unless... Isaac, if you haven't seen your Djinn for over a month, that would put their disappearance at about the same time all this alternate universe stuff began."  
  
"Do you think it could be related?" Isaac asked.  
  
Mia shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. So many crazy things have been happening lately..."  
  
Isaac watched the Djinn, their chests rising and falling as they breathed. "Well, I suppose now we have more coma victims than Ivan onboard this ship. But what could be wrong with them? They aren't in the other universe like Ivan is... I would have noticed by now."  
  
"I don't know any more than you do," Mia said, shaking her head.  
  
Isaac sighed, and scooped the Djinn into a tiny, brown, furry pile. "Well, I suppose there's nothing to be done."  
  
Mia started to help him pick up the unconscious Djinn. She was just handing the last one to him when she stopped suddenly. "Isaac," she asked, "if you're in here, who's steering the ship?"  
  
"Garet is," he replied.  
  
"Isaac..." Mia said, alarmed. "We're sailing up a _river._ And you let Garet drive?!?"  
  
Both Adepts looked at each other, and then dived simultaneously for the door.  
  
They were too late.  
  
A violent shudder ran through the ship, throwing them to the floor and sending Djinn spinning through the air. Isaac managed to catch one before it hit the floor, but the rest landed in various places around the room. Mia quickly scrambled to her feet and offered a hand to Isaac. The Venus Adept took it, using it to pull himself upright. Placing the Djinni on the table, he dashed out the door with Mia in close pursuit.   
  
The deck outside was tilted sideways, and it was difficult for the pair of Adepts to walk without slipping. They hurried across the timbers to where Garet stood by the wheel, paralyzed with shock. Garet did not move, in fact, until Isaac walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Garet jumped, looking around wildly.   
  
"I'm sorry, Isaac!" he said, spotting his friend standing behind him. "I didn't mean to!"  
  
Isaac walked to the side of the ship and looked down. Beyond the wildly tilting deck, he could clearly see the ship had run aground on the riverbank. The keel lay high above the water, and there was a hole where the timbers had run against a rock.  
  
"This is not going to be a quick repair job," Isaac sighed.  
  
"I'm really sorry, Isaac!" Garet repeated, a note of hysteria in his voice. "I didn't see the rock there until it was too late!"  
  
Isaac shook his head. "It's all right, Garet. I don't blame you."  
  
"But it's my fault! I should have been paying more attention--"  
  
"Garet." Isaac said, cutting him off. He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "It's all right. We'll get through this. We don't blame you, right, Mia?" He looked imploringly at the Mercury Adept for support.  
  
"Right," she said. "Garet, it was just an accident. It could've happened to any of us."  
  
"But it didin't happen to _you_, it happened to _me_!" Garet said. "I'm always the clumsy one that messes things up for the rest of you." He sat down on a nearby barrel, holding his head in his hands. "I guess I'm just not cut out for this adventuring business. All I do is cause problems for you."  
  
"Garet!" Isaac said firmly. The Mars Adept looked up. "Don't say that kind of thing! You're just as neccisary on this adventure as any of us. We're a team." Isaac guestured around himself in a circle. "You, me, Ivan, and Mia. We _need_ you, Garet. Ivan, Mia and I probably would've died twenty times by now if you hadn't been there to help us. Yes, you are clumsy sometimes, but that doesn't matter. Things can be replaced, but true friendships are hard to find."  
  
"And besides," Mia said, smiling, "we need the entertainment."  
  
"Thanks a lot, guys," Garet groaned.   
  
"You're welcome." Isaac said, smiling also. He offered Garet his hand. "C'mon, buddy, let's go see how badly the ship's damaged." Garet took the hand and pulled himself to his feet. The three Adepts then trooped down the gangplank and onto the sand of the riverbank.  
  
Isaac went over to survey the hole. The ship itself wouldn't be too hard to raise upright again, with their Psynergy, but reparing this gash in the side was a different matter. The timbers were splintered beyond recognition. Isaac was not much of a sailor, but he saw that the ship was much too badly damaged to be repaired without tools that they did not posess.  
  
"Well, I think our voyaging days are over," Isaac sighed.  
  
"What're we going to do?" Mia asked.   
  
"There's no way we're going to be able to repair that without supplies," Isaac replied. "We're going to need to find a town and buy some materials."  
  
"But is there anything close?" Garet said.  
  
Isaac shrugged. "The map we got in Madra said there should be a town near here. I don't remember what it's called, though. It might be close enough for us to walk."  
  
Mia jumped back onboard and entered the cabin. A moment later, she emerged with the map  
  
"If that's the mountian range labeled on here," she called down to him, "The city of Contigo shouldn't be too far away. Only about a day's walk." She jumped back onto the shore and showed the map to Isaac.  
  
"And the Jupiter Lighthouse is near there, too," Isaac said, peering at the symbols sketched on the chart.   
  
"So should we walk there, then?"  
  
"It's too far for us to go carrying Ivan," Isaac said, looking up from the map and surveying the surrounding terrain. "And it probably isn't smart to leave the ship here without a guard."  
  
"So why don't I stay here while you and Garet go get the supplies?" Mia suggested.  
  
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Isaac said doubtfully. "I don't like the idea of you staying here by yourself."  
  
"Why not?" Mia demanded. "Are you saying I can't take care of myself?"  
  
"No! That's not it at all!" Isaac's cheeks turned slightly pink. "I... just don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
"Here," Garet interjected. "I'll stay with Ivan. You two go ahead to Contigo." When Mia opened her mouth to protest, the Mars Adept continued, "It's my fault the ship was damaged, so I should get the boring job of staying here watching it. Besides, it'd give you two some time alone."  
  
This time it was Mia's turn to blush. Nevertheless, she edged closer to Isaac and took his hand.  
  
"All right, Garet," Isaac agreed, although he looked a bit distracted. "You stay here, and we'll head to Contigo and come back with the supplies."  
  
Garet helped them to gather up a pair of haversacks for their journey. Within a few minutes, Isaac and Mia stood on the tilted ship's deck, ready to begin their journey.  
  
"Be careful, both of you," Garet told them gravely.  
  
"Hey, we're the ones who should be worried about _you_," Isaac replied. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble while we're away, all right?"   
  
"I won't," he promised.   
  
The Venus and Mercury Adepts shouldered their knapsacks, and then, waving goodbye, they walked off the ship and headed into the forest. Garet watched them until they dissappeared amid the trees.  
  
"Why do I have the feeling that this mission isn't going to end up as easy as it seems?" he asked the empty air. His only reply was the musical call of a bird in the distance.  
  
"Oh, well... Mabye I'm just overthinking things," Garet sighed, turned around, and reentered the ship's cabin through the tilted door.  
  
  
  


-------------------------  
  
  
  


A stiff night breeze blew across the flat plains on the opposite bank of the Lalivero River. Moonlight glimmered on the slowly rippling water and the rustling leaves of the prairie plants. On the battlements of the Lalivero wall, a solitary figure stood framed by the light of the full moon, his blonde hair tinted silver by the ethereal glow of the heavenly orb. Ivan's green cloak rippled gently in the wind as he stared blankly out at the flatlands beyond. Despite his promise to himself in the graveyard earler that day, he was unable to sleep.  
  
"You really shouldn't be up this late at night," said a voice from over his shoulder. "Especially not a full moon night. We do have a few Garoh werewolves in our city, and they prefer to have the streets to themselves."  
  
Ivan turned to see Sheba ascending the steps behind him. "Werewolves?" he asked.  
  
"Don't worry, they're completely harmless," she assured him, coming to stand by his side. "They're just a bit shy, that's all."  
  
"I just didn't know they actually existed," Ivan replied.   
  
"They do."  
  
Silence fell over the pair as the conversation trailed off and the moon began to weave its spell over their minds. Both Jupiter Adepts stood in quiet contemplation, the moon bringing to light lingering thoughts and fears.   
  
"Ivan..." Sheba said suddenly, "I've been meaning to ask you something... How was it that you came here? To this world, I mean? Was it the same way as Isaac?"  
  
Ivan looked at her curiously. "No, we didn't arrive the same way... I'm only here because I mind-read him. Why do you ask?"  
  
"It's just that your aura is... strange," she said. "Different than Isaac's, even. It's like... there's _more_ of you here than there should be. Like there's something binding your mental energy to this world... I'm not sure if that made much sense."  
  
"So what are you saying?" Ivan asked.   
  
"What I mean is," she said, "that something in your mind is keeping you here when it shouldn't be. And I believe I may be able to fix that."  
  
"You can send me home?" Ivan asked, incredulous.  
  
"I might, if I can figure out what's holding you here. But I'll need to read your mind."  
  
"But what if the same thing happens to you?" Ivan asked. "What if you end up stuck in my world?"  
  
"There's a chance of that," Sheba admitted, "but I don't think it will be a problem. It's Isaac who is anchored to this world; you were just pulled along for the ride. And anyway, your world sounds like a much better place to be than this one."  
  
Ivan hesitated for a moment. He had no wish to endanger Sheba, or get her caught up in this situation. And yet... the prospect of going home was very tempting. This could be his only chance.  
  
"All right," he answered. "What do I have to do?"  
  
"Stand over here," Sheba said, pointing to the flagstones in front of her.   
  
Ivan moved to the indicated place, and Sheba placed her hands on his shoulders. For a second, green and purple eyes locked together.  
  
"On three..." Sheba said. "One... two... three!"  
  
The Psynergetic light of Mind Read swirled around her. Ivan felt her presence touch his mind, but then he stiffened as a shock wave rolled through his body. The last thing he saw was Sheba's startled face before the darkness closed across his vision, and he crumpled silently to the floor.  
  
  
  


--------------------------------  
  


  
  
A dark room in an even darker building. Eerie red light filtered across the obsidian stone of the walls and the equally stony face of the man on the throne. Blue eyes, once bright and full of light, glared with malice at the figure cowering on the floor.  
  
"So, let me get this straight," Isaac said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Altin was attacked by men from flying ships."  
  
"Y.. yes, my lord." General Anstolm stammered, not daring to look up. The normally proud and haughty man was reduced to a cringing cowered in the face of those more powerful than himself.  
  
"And these men not only halted the execution of five prisoners, including the one that styles himself as me, but also retrieved _all_ the slaves in the camp, destroyed the mine entrance, and set fire to the buildings?"  
  
"Yes, my lord."  
  
"And furthermore, they defeated a dozen of the best fighting gryphons you sent after them?"  
  
"Yes... yes, my lord."  
  
Isaac stared down at the groveling general, his eyes glinting dangerously in the light. "Well, Anstolm, you have done a good job of demoting yourself, haven't you? There is no longer a military base for you to be general of. And from the way you are cringing there, you seem to be fit for little else. Which means, Anstolm, you are worthless. I have no time for worthless people." Isaac clapped his hands, and two spear-wielding guards appeared from another room.   
  
"Take him away," the tyrant said coldly. "I think it's about time we give him a taste of that guillotine he's so fond of."  
  
"No! My lord, please!" Anstolm begged. Isaac simply turned away, ignoring the former general's pleas for mercy as he was dragged away.  
  
Isaac stared at the dying embers of the chamber's fire in silence. There was only one possible explanation for this. Felix had returned, most likely with Picard's help as Anstolm had mentioned flying ships. Continuing this line of thought, it was also logical that Sheba and Jenna would be with them, and since Garet and Mia had left... He would be facing the combined might of all his former friends. Furthermore, they had cared enough about the duplicate of himself to rescue him from Altin. They must be planning something. The situation was too suspicious, and he knew his former friends too well to suspect anything otherwise.  
  
"You heard?" Isaac turned to address the shadows beside the throne.  
  
"I did," the person standing there replied. He stepped forwards slightly, so his form was clearer but the firelight did not reach his face.  
  
"Then listen carefully... I want you to find Felix and the others. They have troubled me far too long. Also, find the one who styles himself as me. You know what to do."  
  
"As you wish, Sire." The shadow began to move as if to depart.  
  
"And Alex..." Isaac continued. The shadow stopped.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Make sure you do not fail.  
  
Alex simply smiled enigmatically, and teleported out of the room.  
  
  
  


----------------------------------------------  
  


Well, another chapter down... only a million more to go... ::sigh:: This story is becoming way too long.  
  
Sheba: [typing] _Griffin... are you sure it's really a good idea to be cliffhanging after such a long lack of updates? You're just asking for serious injury.  
  
_Hey, I still have my bomb shelter. I'll be all right.  
  
Man 1: [appearing] Hey, are you Griffinkhan?  
  
Um... yes? Who are you?  
  
Man 2: We're from the bank. You haven't made your payments on this shelter here.   
  
Man 1: I'm afraid we're going to have to reposess it.  
  
What??? But I need that shelter! I'll be killed without it! C'mon, can't you give a starving author a break?  
  
Man 1: Sorry, miss, but rules are rules. OK, Bob, take 'er away!  
  
[The men pull the shelter onto the back of a truck and drive away]  
  
...Uh oh.  
  
Sheba: [typing] _Griff, I think you'd better run now...  
  
_That is probably a good idea.  
  



	15. A Borrower of the Night

Happy two-days-after-Thanksgiving, everyone! Yes, I am late with this update... but it's only by a few days, so please, don't kill me... ^^;; Nice readers, good readers... here's a doggy biscuit... [runs for the hills]  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 15: A Borrower of the Night  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Silence.   
  
It was an unfamiliar feeling for Garet. People had surrounded him all his life. Even when alone in a room, he always knew there was someone just outside the door, if he cared to open it. But now... he was alone. Isaac and Mia had left, traveling through unknown terrain to find a village they had only seen before as a dot on a map. Who knew when, or if, they would return.  
  
It was an odd feeling, being alone. Garet had always been a people person, managing to be the center of attention whether he liked it or not. Isaac would gladly tell anyone who asked of numerous solemn occasions ruined by an ill-timed trip of his red-haired friend. And that was the root of the problem. Isaac had always been there for Garet, as far back as he could remember. One small and quiet, the other large and loud... they were perfect opposites, and best friends. Isaac was there for Garet when his clumsiness got him into trouble, and Garet was there for Isaac, during the tragic days after the boulder incident, teaching him to laugh again. Garet's sister had often said that Isaac was too quiet and her brother too talkative, so together, they made one normal person. Garet had laughed at her then, but recently, he had realized the truth in that statement. He and Isaac relied on each other. They were a team. Without one, the other would be lost. This realization had come to him most acutely that terrible night three days ago, when he thought his friend was going to die. He had tried to imagine a life without Isaac there to help him, to tease him about liking Jenna, to stand by a window, waiting for him someone to come and cheer him up. To say that Garet was overjoyed when Isaac ended up staying alive would be an understatement.  
  
Now, Isaac had left. Not for good, but still, Garet would probably not see him for another week. It was the longest they had ever been away from each other. Garet was beginning to feel extremely lonely.  
  
_Get a hold of yourself, Garet_, he told himself. _Isaac and Mia haven't been gone for ten minutes yet, and already you're depressed. _He could cope fine without them around. It was his fault that they had to go on this journey, anyway, so it should be his responsibility to stay here, where it was dull... and silent... and empty... He heard a creaking noise, and jumped. _Garet, it's just a ship. It's not like it's haunted or anything. Besides, your Djinn and Ivan are still here.  
  
_ Ivan, Garet remembered. Though the Jupiter Adept would not be much company in his current state, perhaps it would be better than standing in the ship's kitchen, starting at small noises. He stood up, knocking over the chair as usual_,_ and headed out of the kitchen towards Ivan's room. The corridor seemed longer and darker than normal, and every door he passed was an inky abyss of blackness. _There's nothing there. Stop imagining things.   
  
_ He finally reached the doorway at the end of the hall. Grasping the metal handle firmly, he pushed it inwards. It creaked ominously, the sound seeming to echo through all the corners of the ship. Somewhere in the depths of his mind, Garet imagined he heard rustling as something in the darkness, awoken by the noise, began to stir. His heart leaping into his throat, he quickly slipped through the door and shut it behind him. A moment later, as his heart started beating again, he laughed at himself for being so childish. There was nothing out there, only his mind playing tricks. He was glad no one else was around to witness his bout of irrational fear.   
  
Garet turned to survey the room. There was Ivan, in the same position as always, lying still and cold beneath the coverlet. He looked more dead than alive. His skin was still unnaturally pale, his breathing slow and shallow. _Maybe there are ghosts here after all... _Garet thought sadly as he watched his friend. He missed Ivan, he realized, just as much as he missed Isaac now. Although the little twerp was overly hyperactive and delighted in teasing him whenever possible, they were still friends. It was very difficult to see him looking so pale and lifeless, and know he could do nothing about it.  
  
The room was very dark, Garet realized. The only light came from the cracks beneath the curtains on the two round portholes set into the walls. The Mars Adept went over and opened the curtains, letting butter yellow light stream in onto Ivan's pillows. In the light, he looked more alive, as though he were merely taking a nap and would wake up at any moment.   
  
Garet sat down in a chair beside the bed, wondering what he should do now that he was here. The irrational part of his mind would not let him leave again, and even if he did, there was nothing of more interest outside. Although Ivan was not the best conversationalist at the moment, Garet felt a strange sort of security being in this room. It was hard to explain, a feeling as if the world was going around and around, but as long as he remained in here, nothing bad could happen. It was also very warm in the room, Garet realized. He thought of opening a window, but before he could muster himself to stand up, the soothing atmosphere of the room had lulled him off to sleep.   
  
_He was walking the streets of Vale again. Garet knew it was not long after the boulder incident, because the people he passed kept giving him strange looks. It was probably because his arm was bound in a sling, something very unusual in a city where Psynergy could heal the deepest injuries in seconds. The Great Healer was something of a traditionalist, however, and had adamantly declared that Garet's arm would heal better if it were set straight in a cast for a few days before Psynergy was used on it.  
  
_ _The younger Garet had no idea how his arm had managed to get broken; most assumed he and Isaac had tripped while running to find help and had taken a nasty fall. Garet suspected otherwise, however... he had vague recollections of a pair of strange voices and the glint off something metal. He hadn't told this to anyone yet. He was afraid they would think he was joking, or trying to call attention to himself. After all, his friends were getting a lot of sympathy from the villagers. No one would believe that strangers had attacked him with glimmering weapons. They would assume he was jealous of the attention Isaac and Jenna were receiving, and rebuke him for being so selfish.  
  
_ _But Garet was not jealous of his friends. He had watched them the past few days, seen the way they acted, the way they distanced themselves from the world. He would not wish that pain on any person. Now, he had decided it was his duty to help them move past this tragedy. Though he could never fully understand the pain they were going through, at least he might be able to make them understand that the pain did not have to control them.  
  
_ _He found Isaac easily enough. He sat in the grove above the waterfall again, looking down at the torrential waters and the wreckage of the town dock. The Venus Adept had barely moved from this spot in the three days since his father died-- disappeared, Garet told himself, they had not found his body yet-- leaving only to make an appearance at the house for his mother's sake. Garet knew Isaac blamed himself. Isaac always blamed himself. Every time someone was hurt in their play battles, every time someone stormed away from their group of friends after having their feelings injured, every time they got in trouble, it was his responsibility. This time, though, Garet knew thinking like that could only lead his friend into darkness he could not escape.  
  
_ _"Isaac?" Garet asked softly. The boy turned, his blue eyes shimmering with suppressed tears.   
  
_ _"Yeah, Garet?"_ _he said.  
  
_ _Garet walked forward and sat beside his friend, staring down at the waterfall. "You all right?" he asked, knowing it was a stupid question.  
  
_ _Isaac didn't answer, just stared down at his hands. He looked utterly dejected. Garet decided that he had to do something. Taking a deep breath, he began to talk.   
  
_ _"I know you're upset," he said. "I know you probably are blaming yourself for this accident- yes, accident, Isaac, something you couldn't possibly control. I also know that in your mind right now you are thinking of a thousand reasons why it is your fault, a thousand scenarios that could have worked out better, a thousand possibilities that, if you could turn back time, might have saved your dad's life. But the thing is, you can't turn back, Isaac. You can only go forward. Just because your mind tells you all the bad things you've done doesn't make them true. And it doesn't mean you need to feel guilty for the rest of your life. Your mind doesn't have to control you, Isaac. _You_ control you." He paused, looking at his friend questioningly, wondering if he had even been listening.  
  
_ _Isaac stared at him. "Wow, Garet, how'd you learn to talk like that?"  
  
_ _Garet smiled sheepishly. "I heard the Great Healer saying that to your mom."  
  
_ _Isaac looked at him for a moment. Then his blue eyes softened. "Thank you, Garet."  
  
"You're welcome, buddy," Garet replied, placing his good arm on Isaac's shoulder. "Just remember, you don't have to be alone."  
  
_ _Isaac smiled, his first real smile in three days. "Neither do you, Garet. Neither do you."  
  
_ _"Garet? Garet?"  
  
_ Garet awoke to the sound of someone calling his name. He kept his eyes shut, wishing he could just go back to sleep.   
  
"Garet?" the voice came again.  
  
"Five more minutes," Garet mumbled. Then he realized he was supposed to be alone on the ship.  
  
Sitting bolt upright, he collided with the head of someone standing in front of him. Yelling, "Yaagh!" he fell over backwards in his chair, sprawling to the floor.  
  
"Just as graceful as always, I see," Ivan said, offering a hand to help his friend back on his feet.  
  
"I...Ivan?" Garet gasped, staring up at the Jupiter Adept. It was Ivan all right- just as short, blonde, and purple-eyed as ever. He seemed amused by his friend's startled reaction.   
  
"Who'd you expect? Kraden?" he asked, with a wry smile.  
  
"Kraden? Where?" Garet said, instinctively looking around.   
  
Ivan laughed. "Don't worry Garet, he's not here," he said. "Just me."  
  
Garet turned back to his friend. "Then you're really... all right?" he asked.   
  
Ivan rolled his eyes. "Do you think I'd be talking to you if I wasn't?"  
  
Garet looked at him for a moment, and then his face split into a broad grin. He stepped forward and pulled Ivan into a friendly hug. "I'm glad you're back," he said.  
  
"So am I," Ivan answered.  
  
Garet pulled away and studied his friend's face carefully. "But how is it that you're back?" he asked. "Isaac didn't mention anything..."  
  
"Isaac didn't know anything," Ivan replied. "_I_ didn't know anything till a few minutes ago, actually." He proceeded to explain about his meeting with Sheba on the wall top. "And so," he concluded, a short time later, "I decided to let her try Mind Read, and she did. And now... I'm here."  
  
Garet mulled over this new information. "So, what does this mean?" he asked. "Are you out of that other world for good now?"  
  
"I hope so," Ivan replied fervently. He shivered involuntarily. "You don't know what that place is like, Garet," he said. His eyes focused on some distant object, invisible to all but him. "It's... it's like the absence of all hope. There are little bright spots here and there, but mostly, it's just... despair." He turned to face Garet, and the Mars Adept noticed with a twinge of shock that he looked far older than before. "We cannot fail this quest, Garet." He whispered. "We cannot let Weyard end up like that."  
  
Garet slowly nodded. "We won't fail, Ivan." He smiled. "Not now that we're back together again."   
  
Ivan smiled back, and then looked around the room. "Where's Isaac?" he asked suddenly. "And Mia? Are they out on the deck?"  
  
Garet shook his head. He had almost forgotten that Ivan wouldn't know about what had happened to the ship. "They're not here," he answered. "I... err, had a little accident with the ship. Well, a big accident, really. They went off to the nearest town to see if they could find supplies to fix it with."  
  
"You crashed the ship?" Ivan asked, incredulous.  
  
Garet looked at the floor, embarrassed. "It was an accident, I swear!"  
  
Ivan stared at his friend. "So where are we now?"  
  
"On some river..." Garet said, wishing he could be more precise. "Isaac and Mia are walking to the nearest town, someplace called Conmigo or Contigo or something. They set out this morning, and will probably be back in a few days."  
  
"I see..." Ivan said. There was a momentary paused. Then, he asked innocently, "D'you have anything to eat? Jumping universes makes one very hungry..."  
  
Garet smiled and said, "I'm getting hungry as well. Come on."  
  
The pair left the room, chatting away about random subjects as old friends often do.  
  
  
  
  
  


------  


  
  
  
The path from the stranded ship to Contigo was anything but pleasant. There was no road, as no one seemed to have any reason to come out this far into the wilderness. Isaac could understand why. The forests of this continent were thick and dark, more of a jungle than woods. The trees were tall and broad, covered in thick, mossy growths. Little light filtered through the leafy canopy, though it was the middle of the afternoon.   
  
The boots of the two travelers made unpleasant squishing sounds in the deep loam as they painstakingly made their way through the forest. Mia had to use her staff at times to keep from sinking deep into the accumulated decaying leaves of bygone seasons.   
  
Somewhere high above them, a bird cawed loudly. Mia looked up, startled by the sudden noise. Isaac placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.  
  
"How much farther do you think we have to go?" Mia asked him, looking around at the dense undergrowth.  
  
"Probably a long way yet," Isaac admitted, trying to judge the position of the sun through the leaves. He gave up after a moment. "I'd say we've been walking for four hours," he said. "According to the map, we should keep walking north through this forest until we reach a river. After we cross that, we should hit a path that leads to Contigo."  
  
Mia looked around nervously at the dark forest. "How do you know we're going north?" she asked. "The sun is practically invisible, and this mossy stuff on the trees doesn't seem to care what side it grows on..."   
  
"We're going the right way," Isaac assured her, though silently he admitted her point was a good one. "Even if we're not going straight north, we'll hit the river sooner or later and be able to correct our course from there."  
  
"I hope you're right..." Mia said, still looking uneasy. A rustling sound emerged from some nearby bushes. "What's that?" she said, raising her staff.  
  
"Might be a monster," Isaac said, drawing his sword. The pair stopped moving, waiting for something to happen.  
  
"It must have just been some animal," Isaac said, when nothing emerged from the bushes after a few minutes. 'We should keep going..."   
  
"Right," Mia said, looking around one last time. "I don't like this forest. It feels.... angry. Like Kolima Forest did before we broke the curse."  
  
"There seem to be very few normal woods in this world, don't there?" Isaac agreed. "Kolima had killer talking trees, and Mogall was just plain creepy, with the maze and those big ape things..."  
  
Mia laughed. "Well, hopefully we won't meet any killer trees or apes in here." She took Isaac's hand and started walking again. "Come on. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can make it back and rescue Garet from whatever mess he's gotten himself into during our absence."  
  
  
  
  
  
About an hour later, the pair of Adepts entered a rocky clearing in the woods. It was a very beautiful place. A small hill of stone dominated the grotto, with many mossy boulders dotting the rest of the area. The stones were arranged in an almost perfect ring, with the large stone at the center. The ring did not look quite natural, almost as though someone had built it for some unknown purpose long ago.  
  
It was a very memorable location. That was why Isaac was certain he had seen it only a few hours before.  
  
"We're going in circles," he groaned, sitting down on a nearby boulder. Mia sat down as well.  
  
"So much for 'we're going in the right direction', huh, Isaac?" she said.  
  
Isaac sighed. "I'm sorry, Mia..." he said, rubbing his temples with one gloved hand. "This forest is throwing off my bearings."  
  
"It's all right, Isaac," she assured him. She looked up at the sky, visible now because of their position in the clearing. "It's getting late anyway," she said, noting the red tinge coloring the treetops. "We might as well stop for the night. Tomorrow we'll be able to see the sun, and start off in the right direction."  
  
Isaac looked up at the setting sun, and nodded. "You're right..." He stood up, and glanced around the clearing. "See anyplace we could camp?" he asked. "I'm a bit wary about sleeping in the trees... Who knows what could creep up on us during the night."  
  
Mia began searching around the base of the large rock, glancing up at the sky again as she did. "Looks like it's going to rain soon," she warned, noticing the black clouds beginning to billow up overhead "We need to find someplace dry."  
  
Isaac walked around to the other side of the clearing. An indentation in the center stone caught his eye. Investigating it further, he saw that it was a small alcove with a rock overhanging the top. It looked large enough for the two of them to stretch out without getting soaked by the impending rain. Feeling a few raindrops hit the top of his head, he called out, "Over here, Mia! Hurry!"  
  
Mia dashed towards him, and the pair managed to get under cover just as the rain began pouring down. The watched the water pelting the forest floor, turning the outside world into a shimmering sea of grey.  
  
"Well, that was close," Isaac commented. Mia smiled, and began pulling supplies out of her pack. Tossing Isaac an apple and some bread, she looked around their new camp. "There's some dry wood over here," she said, pulling some long-dead branches from a crevice in the back of the shelter. "We could make a small fire."  
  
Isaac nodded. "Make sure it's small, though. We'll need it to last through the night."  
  
A short time later, the pair relaxed around a tiny flickering fire, an oasis of warmth and light in the midst of the dark woods. The two Adepts snuggled close together in the comfort of their refuge, secure in the soothing presence of one other.   
  
Neither noticed the dark shapes flitting though the shadows near the trees, slowly encircling the camp.  
  
  
  
  
  


------  


  
  
  
In the kitchen of the stranded Lemurian ship, Garet and Ivan sat around the table, talking about nothing in particular. Now that he was no longer alone on the ship, Garet felt much more comfortable, and had slipped back into his normal outgoing personality. Currently, the pair were debating...something. Garet was not quite sure what, but he was certain that whatever it was, he disagreed with Ivan completely.  
  
Ivan was in the middle of a sentence when he stopped talking abruptly. His eyes glazed over, and the color drained out of his face. For one second, Garet was afraid he was falling back into a coma, but a moment later the Jupiter Adept gave a cry of shock and jerked back to reality, his eyes wide and full of terror.  
  
"Ivan! What is it?" Garet asked, alarmed. He stood up and ran to his friend, who now sat shaking uncontrollably. "What's wrong?"  
"It's... It's Isaac!" Ivan gasped. "He's in danger!" Suddenly, he jumped up from his chair.  
  
"What are you doing?" Garet said, as Ivan began to run out of the room.  
  
"We have to go help him!" Ivan shouted over his shoulder.  
  
"Ivan--" Garet began, but the Jupiter Adept had already left the room. Garet quickly followed him.  
  
"Ivan, what's going on?" he demanded, finding his friend in his room, throwing things into his traveling bag. "What do you mean, Isaac's in danger?"  
  
"I had a ...vision just now," Ivan explained. "It wasn't quite like any vision I've had before, but I'm certain that's what it was. For just an instant, I could feel Isaac's emotions. Something had happened to make him very afraid. We've got to go help him, _now!"  
  
_ "But, how are we supposed to find him?" Garet asked, as Ivan shouldered his own pack and dashed into Garet's room, beginning to pack his friend's belongings as well. Garet hesitated for a moment and then began helping him. "They're hours ahead by now!"  
  
"I know where they are," Ivan replied.   
  
"_How_?" Garet asked, beginning to lose patience. "You're not making any sense, Ivan!"  
  
"Just trust me, Garet!" Ivan said, handing the Mars Adept his pack. "There's no time to explain now. We have to hurry, or it might be too late!"  
  
Garet stared as Ivan raced back to the kitchen to throw some supplies into his pack. Then he shrugged, and picked up his axe from the corner. If Ivan said Isaac was in trouble because he had received some sort of psychic vision, Garet supposed he should believe it. It wasn't the strangest thing he'd heard recently...  
  
Axe in hand, Garet hurried into the main room, where Ivan was impatiently awaiting his appearance. The Jupiter Adept nodded at his friend, and then threw open the outer door.   
  
"Ivan! We can't go out there!" Garet said, horrified. "It's pouring down rain!"  
  
"Do you want to help Isaac, or not?" Ivan snapped at the Mars Adept. The situation was obviously putting him on edge. "Come on, Garet! I can't do this without you!"  
  
Garet looked out at the rain. It looked extremely dark, and cold, and wet... But Isaac needed him. Garet's eyes narrowed with determination. "Let's go, Ivan," he said.  
  
The pair hurried off into the storm, hoping that once they caught up with Isaac, there would be something left for them to help.  
  
  
  
  
  


------------------------------------------  


  
  
  
Ick... I apologize for the shortness, but this was the best place to cut it off, unless you wanted me to take another month working on it... I'm not very happy with the way it turned out, either. It didn't really seem to go anywhere. ^^ Ah, well, tell me what you think, and I'll go back and revise it later.  
  
On a high note- Chapter 16 is almost half written, because I started writing the Jupiter Lighthouse scene and then realized it wouldn't end up in this chapter. So, expect a shorter wait for the next update!  
  
Oh, and the chapter title came from a line in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth':  
  
"I must become a borrower of the night  
For a dark hour or twain."  
-Ross, (Act 3, scene 1, lines 26-27)  
  
Well, until next chapter. Please remember to review!   
  



	16. On a Thin Thread of Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own the Golden Sun games, or the dialogue in this chapter that came straight from them. I'm writing this for entertainment purposes only, in case some lawyer didn't know that already.  
  


-----------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 16: On a Thin Thread of Fate  
  


  
  
The monsters attacked without warning. One moment, Isaac and Mia were drifting off to sleep as the rain pounded the ground outside their shelter. The next, lithe, snarling creatures were leaping at them through the silver curtain of water, their fur splattering liquid onto the small fire. Mia cried out in surprise and reached for her staff as a monster landed in front of her, snarling in her face.  
  
Isaac quickly leapt to his feet, kicking out at one of the monsters attempting to claw him and drawing his sword in the same motion. The creatures were wolf-like, though they seemed to walk on two legs like humans. Most disconcertingly, they were wearing what appeared to be clothing.  
  
"What _are_ they?" Mia shouted, braining a creature with her staff. "Where did they come from?"  
  
"I think they're wolfkins," Isaac shouted back, attempting to dodge a claw aimed at his head and slamming into the wall of their shelter instead. "I've heard stories about them. Some say they once were humans, who were so evil they were cursed to live as wolves."  
  
"More likely they were animals corrupted by Psynergy stones," Mia said.   
  
"Hey, that's just the story," Isaac replied, slashing at a Wolfkin. The creature screamed and backed away, an angry red gash across its snout. Isaac then leapt forward, thrusting his sword into the creature's throat. It gurgled and died, collapsing into the fire and smothering it.  
  
The campsite was plunged into darkness, the only light now coming from the moon outside. The dark did not deter the Wolfkins. As soon as Isaac dispatched his first monster, two more came to take its place. Looking out through the curtain of rain, the Venus Adept could see many more hulking shapes waiting for their turn to attack.  
  
"Looks like we're in a bit of a fix," Isaac said to Mia, as she fended off another monster. "There must be two dozen of them out there, at least."  
  
"I bet this must be their nest," Mia said, grimly. "There's a small tunnel back there in the corner. I just noticed it."  
  
"Do you think any of them could be inside?" Isaac asked, suddenly alarmed.  
  
"I doubt it. They would have attacked by now. Probably we were lucky enough that the pack was out hunting when we arrived."  
  
"Lucky?"  
  
"You know what I mean, Isaac."  
  
They continued to fight the wolfkins, though it appeared to be a losing battle. Reinforcements kept swarming up from behind. Soon, Isaac had to fend off five or six snarling sets of fangs at once.  
  
A cry of pain that was most definitely not wolflike made Isaac turn. Mia had collapsed to the ground, leaning against the wall with one arm bleeding badly from a Wolfkin bite. She attempted to fend off her attackers with her staff, but the monsters, sensing weakness, swarmed on her. She disappeared beneath a mass of lupine bodies.   
  
"MIA!" Isaac shouted, fear surging through his mind. He raced towards the Mercury Adept, savagely lashing out at anything that got in his way with sword and boots. He stabbed downwards at one creature, feeling it go limp around his blade. He ripped the carcass away, then repeated the process, knocking snarling bodies away from his fallen friend. Eventually, he managed to clear the area around Mia, but the damage had been done. She was covered in blood, and unconscious.  
  
_Mia... please... be all right..._ Isaac thought, savagely hacking at the Wolfkins that were attracted by the scent of blood. _Hold on...  
  
_ Isaac stood before his fallen friend, wolfkin blood dripping from his tunic and sword, his eyes dark with fury. They had harmed what he held dearest to him.  
  
"Come on," he taunted the monsters, beckoning them with his sword. "If you want a fight, you've got one."  
  
The wolves charged, and Isaac swung his sword, prepared to defend his love- or die trying.  
  


------  
  


  
  
"Quickly, Garet! This way!"  
  
Ivan turned and waved his friend onwards, while continuing to run through the forest undergrowth. Garet followed behind, grumbling under his breath. It was far too dark and rainy for this. Several times he had nearly fallen and broken his neck after slipping on wet leaves. Once he saw Isaac again, _if I see Isaac again_, he would have something to say about dragging people outside in such weather.  
  
"Look!" Ivan said, dodging around a tree and pointing. A clearing was just ahead, containing a large rock surrounded by a circle of smaller stones. The moonlight through the rain revealed a group of monsters crowding around the central monolith, seemingly interested with something at its base. "It's Isaac!"  
  
Sure enough, when Garet got closer to the building, he could see the glint of Isaac's Gaia Blade as it sliced into attacking monsters. He seemed to be holding his own, judging by the large pile of Wolfkin carcasses at his feet, but the numbers of the enemy would soon overwhelm him. What troubled Garet was there was no sign of Mia.  
  
Ivan charged into the fray, followed by Garet. Taken by surprise, the monsters fell easily to the staff and the axe. The pair of Adepts cut a wide swathe through the Wolfkin ranks, fighting their way to Isaac.  
  
"We leave you alone for a few hours and already you get into trouble," Garet joked, as he came up beside Isaac, hacking off a monster head on the way.   
  
"Garet?" Isaac said, managing to look startled and fend off a Wolfkin at the same time. "What're you doing here? You were supposed to be watching Ivan!"  
  
"I can watch myself, thanks," Ivan said, appearing at Isaac's other side and blasting a creature with Whirlwind.   
  
"Ivan?" Isaac asked. "What--"  
  
"We'll tell you everything later," Garet interrupted. "Where's Mia?"  
  
"Back there," Isaac said, inclining his head at the cave entrance behind him. "She's in bad shape."  
  
Garet glanced inside and swore under his breath. "Isaac, go tend to her," he said. "We'll hold these things off."  
  
Isaac nodded, unfazed by Garet's sudden assumption of authority, and headed back into the cave. The golden light of Cure Well soon emanated into the night.  
  
By now, the Wolfkin ranks had thinned somewhat. The remaining beasts, about a half dozen or so, pulled back from the cave. A few blasts of Ivan's psynergy later, the now four monsters scurried away into the forest.   
  
Garet and Ivan hurried into the shelter, keeping a close eye on their backs in case the Wolfkin pack decided to counterattack. They found Isaac kneeling close beside Mia, holding her hand as golden energy enveloped them. She looked much better. The cuts caused by monster teeth and claws had all disappeared, though a good quantity of dried blood remained. Isaac looked up as his friends approached.   
  
"She'll be all right," he said quietly. "She's lost a lot of blood... but after she's rested a while, she'll recover. We won't be able to move her tonight, though."  
  
"Right," Garet said. "Guess we'll have to stay here. But we'd better post a guard."  
  
"I'll take first watch," Ivan volunteered. "I think I've slept enough for a long time."  
  
Isaac sat staring down at Mia's closed eyes. Garet gently placed a hand on his shoulder.   
  
"Come on, Isaac," he said softly. "Get some rest. She'll still be here when you wake."  
  
Isaac nodded slowly, and then, gathering Mia into his arms, leaned against the rock wall of the cave. "You two are going to explain everything in the morning," he said, staring at Ivan and Garet. The pair nodded.  
  
"Of course, Isaac," Ivan said.   
  
Isaac sighed, took one last look at Mia, then leaned back and drifted off to sleep.  
  


------  
  


  
  
The town of Lalivero was hot and dry, a vast contrast to the Wolfkin battlefield of the real world. Isaac awoke in his bed in Faran's house, where he and Ivan were currently staying. Golden sunlight streamed through the open window, bringing with it the scorching desert air.   
  
Isaac stood up, pushing the light bedcovers off him as he stepped barefoot onto the wooden floor of his bedroom. Faran appeared to have moved up in the world since he had last visited Lalivero; the one story dwelling had been enlarged to include an entire extra wing. He pulled on his boots and padded out of the room, taking note that Ivan's bed was empty.  
  
_Maybe he's escaped this world for good, _Isaac thought happily, as he made his way towards the main room. _However he managed it...  
  
_ Isaac's musings were abruptly cut short when he entered the living room. A gaggle of women, including Mia, Jenna, and Sheba, clustered around a couch at the other side of the room. Felix was there also, looking very worried.  
  
"Ah, there you are," the older Venus Adept said, seeing Isaac enter. "I'm sorry, Isaac, but Ivan... we don't know what's wrong with him..." He gestured vaguely at the couch. Isaac walked a few steps closer, and saw that lying there, wrapped in blankets, was Ivan. He lay very still, his eyes closed and his breathing slow and steady beneath the coverings.  
  
"What happened?" Isaac asked, looking at Felix.  
  
"I'm afraid that's my fault," said Sheba quietly, looking up from her position beside the sleeping Jupiter Adept's head. "I thought that if I read his mind, I might be able to send him back to your world... But I guess all I did was make things worse..."  
  
Isaac shook his head. "On the contrary, Sheba, you've helped a lot." Sheba looked at him quizzically. "Ivan woke up in our world," he explained. "Whatever you did, you seemed to trigger him out of the coma. My guess is he's now in the same situation I am... when I'm asleep here, I'm awake there, and so forth..."  
  
"Well, then, that is good news," Felix said, his mood seeming to lighten. "At least we know he's not in any danger."  
  
Isaac nodded. "Thank you."  
  
"Well..." Felix said, walking over to the doorway, "Come on, Isaac. Garet and Picard wanted to talk to you down by the docks."  
  
Isaac nodded, and followed the alternate of the man he was chasing out the door.  
  


------  
  


"Thank goodness, we're finally out of that forest."  
  
Mia breathed a sigh of relief as she looked out at the river and the road leading towards Contigo. Before them was a large plain, dotted with a few trees and carpeted with tall prairie grass. The grass soon gave way to dirt as it rose to a rockier area of the plain, on which, just visible, were the houses that made up the town of Contigo.   
  
Mia stepped out onto the path leading to the village, Isaac keeping an arm around her waist to steady her. She had assured him she was perfectly capable of walking on her own, but he insisted on helping her. "You're still weak," he said, a comment only he could safely make in her presence. That point was illustrated a moment later when Garet echoed his friend's words and received a staff whack to the head for his trouble.   
  
"Fine, Isaac, I'll let you help me as far as Contigo," she compromised, shooting Garet a death glare as he rubbed his sore head. "But no farther. Got it?"  
  
Isaac nodded, and then began walking down the path, Mia by his side.   
  
"Look over there, Isaac!" Ivan said, pointing over to the left. Isaac looked in the indicated direction, and saw a small bay, with a harbor that probably belonged to Contigo. One ship stood out clearly, anchored in the water. Though it was very far away, it was obviously of Lemurian design.   
  
"You think that could be Felix's ship?" Ivan asked.  
  
"Most likely," Isaac agreed. "The lighthouse is just over there."  
  
He pointed towards the horizon directly in front of the group, where a purple stone tower jutted towards the heavens out of a mountain range.   
  
"Maybe he's still in the village!" Mia said, excitedly. "We may be able to catch him without having to climb another lighthouse!"  
  
"It's possible," said Isaac. "Though I doubt it. They probably have a huge head start by now."  
  
"Oh, come on, Isaac," Mia said. "Don't be so pessimistic. Let's hurry and get to the village. We won't make their lead any smaller by standing around here!"  
  
She broke away from Isaac and began running down the trail, with energy that belied the fact she had almost died the previous night.   
  
"Mia! Wait up!" Isaac shouted, running after her. Garet rolled his eyes and followed, Ivan, for once, trailing behind.  
  


------  
  


The city of Contigo was different from the many other towns and villages Isaac had visited on his travels. His first thought was that it had recently survived a major disaster. The gigantic crater on its outskirts certainly gave the impression of some catastrophe, and there were many tents dotting the nearby landscape. However, the buildings in the village seemed strong and well-weathered, showing they had been standing for quite some time.  
  
The four Adepts stood quietly by the town gates, surveying the village. It seemed extremely busy for its small size. People bustled here and there, most carrying tools of some kind. Small groups kept jostling past the Adepts and heading out of the city, down the path that lead to the seashore. There were a few small children among them, carrying buckets and shovels.  
  
"Look at that!" Ivan said, pointing to a crowd of villagers heading towards the gate. They were carrying something large and flat. "That looks like one of the wings from the L.A.U.G.H ships, Isaac!"  
  
"Garet did say they were made in Contigo," Isaac answered. "Wonder where they're taking it?"  
  
"Probably to the harbor," Mia said, as the villagers passed them and walked down the same path as the bucket-carrying children.   
  
"Out of the way!" one of the men carrying the wing shouted, and the other villagers parted to let his team pass. Isaac moved to the side as the group approached. He noticed Ivan was still standing in the middle of the road and pulled him backwards by his cape just as the wing-carriers reached the gateway. "Ivan, you've got to be more aware of your surroundings," he said as the men trooped past.  
  
"Sorry," Ivan apologized. "It's just... for a moment there, I got the strangest feeling... like I've been here before..."  
  
The man holding the front of the wing suddenly stopped walking, causing the entire procession to grind to a halt and almost sending their cargo flying into the air. The man gestured for his team to wait where they were and walked towards the four Adepts.  
  
"Did he just call you Ivan?" the man asked, staring at the Jupiter mage oddly.   
  
"Um.... yes?" Ivan said, understandably confused. The man stared at him for a moment longer. Then his eyes lit up.   
  
"It _is_ him!" he said, drawing the attention of the other villagers. "It's Ivan! He's returned!"  
  
There was an immediate commotion. The villagers surrounded the Adepts, the wing forgotten. Soon Ivan was surrounded by a crowd of excited townsfolk, all staring at him like he was an exotic animal in a zoo.  
  
"What's going on?" Ivan asked, looking around at the crowd nervously.   
  
"You're right, Joel, he looks just like his father," exclaimed a woman standing beside the first man.   
  
"She said it would be soon, and she was right," said another man, who looked only a few years older than Isaac. "Though I did think he'd be a bit taller..."  
  
"Hush, Michael. That's no way to speak to someone," the woman scolded. She turned back to Ivan, a happy smile creasing her face. "Take no notice of him, dear. He talks too much for his own good. Welcome home."  
  
"What?" Ivan asked, now even more confused.  
  
"Do you not know? This is Contigo, dear. Your hometown."  
  
"My.... hometown?" Ivan glanced around at the villagers surrounding him. "This was where I was born?"  
  
"Yes," the first man, Joel, said. "You left here when you were just a baby, but we knew you would return someday."  
  
"Your sister said you would," Michael added, "And she has the power of Anemos. What she predicts always comes true."  
  
"Sister..." Ivan whispered, his eyes growing vacant. Isaac could tell he was remembering the final moments of the alternate Master Hama. Joel, however, seemed to take Ivan's murmur as a question.  
  
"Yes, you have a sister, Ivan," he said, nodding. "I'm not sure where she's gone off to, but I'm sure she will be back soon."  
  
"Feel free to look around the town, Ivan," the woman said, giving him a fond, motherly smile. "It is your home, after all."  
  
"Thank you.... I... will..." Ivan said, obviously shaken by the sudden turn of events. Isaac took this as his cue to step in.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about a group of travelers heading for the Jupiter Lighthouse, would you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, actually," Joel said. "There was a group that headed out just a few hours ago, in fact. Rather odd bunch."  
  
"What did they look like?" Mia asked.  
  
"There were five of them..." the woman replied. "They seemed to be led by a boy a little older than you, with dark brown hair. There were two girls, one short and blond, the other red-haired, and an old man, too, who seemed extremely overinterested in the Anemos Sanctum. The others had to drag him away from it in the end."  
  
"You're forgetting the last one, Deedee," interrupted Joel. "The kid with the blue hair..."  
  
"Oh yes," the woman said. "Him. He had the oddest clothing I've ever seen... and these weird yellow eyes. And that hair couldn't have been natural. Teenagers these days..." She suddenly seemed to remember who she was talking to. "No offense meant to you all, of course," she said quickly, eyeing Mia's cerulean locks.  
  
"Of course," Isaac repeated, and thanked the villagers for their information. The four Adepts then carefully pushed their way out of the crowd and retreated to the outskirts of the village to   
  
"That was definitely Felix's group," Isaac said, once they were clear of wandering villagers. "And they only left recently. We're in luck."  
  
"So we're putting repairing the ship on hold, then?" Mia asked.   
  
"We'll have plenty of time to worry about that after we stop Felix," Isaac said.  
  
"...Have you ever stopped to think about how futile our mission is?" Ivan asked, as they started walking towards the lighthouse.  
  
"What do you mean?" Garet asked.  
  
"Well," Ivan said, stepping over a patch of withered grass as he began to explain, "What're we going to do once we catch up with Felix? We're trying to stop him from throwing an object into a hole. He can continue to attempt it indefinitely, unless we stand in front of the hole forever."  
  
"...Uh..." Isaac said. He'd never thought about it that way before.  
  
"And we can't even kill him to keep the beacons from being lit, because we're good guys and not supposed to do that sort of thing," Ivan continued. "Would you have killed Saturos and Menardi, Isaac, if they hadn't fallen into the lighthouse?"  
  
"No," Isaac answered.  
  
"But they wouldn't have had any reservations about killing you," Ivan said. "So... the way I see it, we're fighting a losing battle here. Unless we take the stars and throw them into the ocean or something. And even then, someone could dredge them up again."   
  
Isaac stopped walking and stared at his friend for a moment. "...Ivan," he said finally, "Did you _really_ have to tell us that?"  
  
Ivan shrugged. "Just doing my job," he said, grinning cheekily at his friends.  
  
Isaac rolled his eyes and started walking. "Remind me again why we wanted you out of that coma..."  
  


------  
  


Footsteps echoed loudly amid rocks as the group of Adepts entered the canyon below Jupiter Lighthouse. Although situated in a depression and surrounded on three sides by impassible mountains, the lighthouse was still the tallest object on the horizon. The building was constructed from an unfamiliar type of purple stone that seemed almost alive to the touch. Isaac attempted to stay far away from the walls as they had a tendency to give him a shock of static electricity whenever he got too close.  
  
The four Adepts made their way towards the Lighthouse entrance, a nondescript archway leading into the blackness of the interior. Climbing a short flight of steps, they passed a pair of female statues similar to those they had encountered at other lighthouses. These ones were somewhat different from the others, however, as they sported wings on their backs. Isaac ran his hand over the white marble of one statue, staring up into its carved face. The features seemed similar to Ivan's... or would that be, similar to Master Hama's? Giving one last glance to the statue, he led his friends into the building.  
  
This lighthouse seemed far more eerie than the others. The only sound came from their footfalls and the moaning of the fierce winds, magnified to far beyond their normal volume by the twisting purple stone corridors. Isaac gave an involuntary shudder at the noise. The air seemed strangely oppressive, giving off almost the same feeling as the alternate Isaac's castle. The entire building pulsed with Jupiter energy, and it was smothering him.   
  
Ivan, on the other hand, was perkier than ever. He happily bounded along the corridors without even bothering to check for monsters. Isaac dropped to the rear of the group, trying to suppress the urge to turn and run as far away from the building as he could. He now could appreciate what Garet and Ivan must have gone through at the other two lighthouses.  
  
The group passed through another archway. Isaac noticed the two halves of a large door protruding from the wall, and realized that at one time, the area had been sealed off. Felix had passed this way.  
  
"Look at this!" Ivan called from ahead. He had already scurried into the next chamber and stood pointing excitedly up at something. Isaac quickened his pace and emerged into one of the most amazing rooms he had ever seen.  
  
They were in the main chamber of the lighthouse. The place itself was not large in terms of floor space, but it more than made up for that in vertical space. The ceiling was so high it was almost indiscernible. Tier after tier of ledges studded the purple walls, like mushrooms clinging to the side of a tree. Dominating the center of the room was a large hole, which emanated a strange beam of blue light that shot towards the faraway ceiling. Small, jewel-like violet orbs spun around the beam in an endless dance, spiraling upwards into infinity.   
  
"Wow..." Mia whispered, effectively summarizing Isaac's feelings. He stared transfixed at the twirling lights for several moments. It had an odd calming effect on the soul, like staring into a Lighthouse beacon. This thought jostled him from his reverie. His task was to prevent another of those calming beacons from being lit, and the longer they delayed here, the closer Felix came to the Aerie.  
  
"Come on," Isaac directed, headed towards the nearby door. "We'd better get moving."  
  
For all the apprehension Isaac felt about the lighthouse, so far, the layout was actually rather simple. A few stone pillars to push and some stairs to climb were all that really impeded their progress. The first delay occurred when the group reached an odd-looking purple design carved on one of the ledges in the main room. It was a stone circle, carved to look as though waves were radiating from the edges towards the center, making the whole design look somewhat like a pinwheel. The Adepts stopped to puzzle over it for a moment, before a screech from above heralded the arrival of unwanted guests.  
  
"Stupid winged monsters," Ivan muttered, giving one of the trio of wyverns that had dive-bombed him a solid whack across the temple with his staff. The creature screeched and flapped its wings madly, trying to regroup from the blow. However, in the course of its thrashing it veered into the path of the spiraling light in the center of the room. It shot upwards at an alarming speed, its screams of shock finally dying away as it disappeared into the ceiling.  
  
"I wonder what that light thing does, once it gets you all the way up there?" Mia wondered while aiming a volley of ice at one of the remaining monsters.  
  
Garet shrugged. "With our luck, we'll have to find out sometime."  
  
"Almost anything suspicious in a lighthouse has a purpose," Isaac agreed, stabbing his sword into a wyvern and getting his face splattered with emerald blood for his trouble. He wiped it out of his eyes with his sleeve and parried the wyvern's retaliatory talon slash. "Like this design here. It must mean something. Whoever designed these buildings wasn't big on ornamentation for simple aesthetic pleasure."  
  
"Watch your back," Garet warned, slashing at the wyvern hovering behind Isaac with his axe. More green blood spurted from the wound, staining the battleground.  
  
"All right, this is getting annoying," Ivan grumbled. "Stand back, I'll take care of them."  
  
The other three fighters backed away from the wyverns, standing in a semicircle on the strange design with Ivan. The Jupiter Adept closed his eyes for a moment, and then glowed purple and released a torrent of wind towards the two wounded wyverns.  
  
Instantly, Isaac knew something was wrong. Instead of the monsters being hit with a barrage of gale force winds, the normal effect of Ivan's Psynergy, the Venus Adept saw the attack coming towards _him_. He felt himself being lifted by the whirling winds. His feet left the ground as he spun upwards towards the lighthouse roof. Isaac let out a yelp of surprise and instinctively latched onto the nearest solid object to steady himself, which happened to be Mia. Seeing as she was also spiraling upwards, it did not help much.  
  
Still clinging tightly to Mia, Isaac glanced up to see where they were headed. He wished he hadn't. The underside of the ledge above them was growing ever closer. The solid stones were only a few feet away from the top of his head. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for a painful collision with the ledge.  
  
The impact never came. Instead, Isaac felt a sensation he would never forget as long as he lived. His body seemed to dissolve into the wind. For a moment, Isaac did not exist. There was only the breeze. He had blown across the world forever and would continue to blow for eternity. Time and space meant nothing to him. He simply..._was_.  
  
Then the world righted itself, and he stood on the upper ledge, a funnel-shaped design below his feet. Isaac clung tightly to Mia, shaking slightly as his senses recovered from their odd journey. Beside him, Garet had fallen over after landing. He scrambled to his feet, looking around at the new surroundings.  
  
"Isaac," Mia said softly, "I appreciate your wanting to hold me, but it's getting hard to breathe."  
  
Isaac blushed, and released her. She smiled at him reassuringly and took his hand in hers.  
  
"That was amazing!" Ivan whooped. His eyes shone brightly and his hair was messier than usual. "Can we do it again, Isaac?"  
  
Isaac gave him a look that answered the question more effectively than words ever could.  
  
The path through the lighthouse continued uneventfully. The group entered the only doorway on their new ledge, passed another angel statue, and turned left into a hallway. Another purple design appeared in an alcove on the right, guarded by a pair of statues. Ivan moved towards it, but Isaac stomped right on past, continuing down the corridor with Mia and Garet in his wake. Ivan gave the design one last, longing glance before running to catch up with his friends.  
  
The next doorway led them to the outside of the building. They stood on a stone ledge jutting from the lighthouse's exterior, without so much as a handrail to separate the end of the stone from the sheer drop to the ground. The sky around them was grey and cloudy, wrapped in so much mist that the ground could not be seen. Isaac shuddered slightly and quickly ushered the group through the next door and back inside.   
  
A few stairs, corridors, and an invisible stepping-stone later, the group emerged in a large room somewhere high up in the lighthouse. The doorway was on a raised platform above the real floor of the room. Small pillars led away from the door, just within jumping distance.  
  
"Where to now?" Garet asked, looking at the pillars with apprehension. "Do we have to jump across these things?"  
  
Isaac looked out from the door and spied another archway on the right side of the room, also on a raised platform. A ladder stood against the stone, leading up.  
  
"No, we can just drop down to the floor and climb back up over there," he said, pointing. "Come on."  
  
They quickly crossed the room and scaled the ladder, taking the doorway above. It led out onto another ledge on the outside of the Lighthouse. This one was actually two ledges, connected by a thin yellow stone bridge. Isaac eyed it warily, having no desire to cross it. The height of this lighthouse was beginning to make him queasy.  
  
"Looks like there's a door over there," Ivan said, running to the edge of the platform and looking around the bend of the building.  
  
"Don't stand so close to the edge!" Isaac warned. Ivan rolled his eyes.  
  
"Just because _you're_ afraid of heights, Isaac, doesn't mean everyone _else_ around you is," he said, deliberately taunting the Venus Adept by taking a step closer to the drop.  
  
"I am not afraid of heights!" Isaac said, indignantly.  
  
"Oh yeah? Then why are hugging that wall like the floor's going to collapse any second?"  
  
Mia sighed and started walking towards the bridge. "Both of you, stop it," she said over her shoulder. "The longer we stand around here, the closer Felix gets to the beacon--"  
  
She stepped onto the bridge. It gave way beneath her feet, and with a cry of shock, she lost her balance, sliding down the yellow stone and plunging over the brink.  
  
"Mia!" Garet cried. As he was the closest to the edge, he lunged towards the Mercury Adept to try and stop her fall. However, he missed her hand and slipped on the polished stone, falling off the edge as well.  
  
Isaac stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe that two of his best friends had just fallen off the lighthouse. But they had. From below he heard Garet grunt in pain, and Mia's voice desperately crying, "No!"  
  
The ice that held Isaac rooted to the spot melted as he heard Mia scream. Forgetting his fear, he dashed towards the edge, crying out her name. Behind him, he could hear Ivan doing the same. The two halted at the brink, peering down into the swirling mist.  
  
Isaac's heart rose into his throat as he saw Mia standing on a ledge about fifteen feet below the broken bridge. Garet hung from the side of the stone by one arm, his body dangling precariously over thin air.  
  
"Hang on, Mia!" Isaac shouted, attempting to calm himself and think of a way out of this situation. "Don't worry, Garet! Everything will fine!"  
  
Hearing his voice, Mia turned to look up at her two friends standing high above her. "Don't worry about me... I'm fine," she called. Isaac breathed a sigh of relief. "But Garet..." She turned back and knelt beside the dangling Mars Adept, grabbing hold of his arm and trying to pull him up.  
  
"Garet, you're only using one arm to hang on," she said, a note of alarm creeping into her voice. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I don't know," Garet said. His voice sounded strained, and it was obvious he was in a lot of pain. "I think I hurt my arm when I fell... It's totally numb! I can't move it!"  
  
"You shouldn't have tried to save me when I fell into that hole," Mia said, gritting her teeth as she tried to pull him back in to safety.  
  
"Oh, Mia, don't blame yourself," Garet said, grinning lopsidedly up at her. "I wasn't going to leave you down there!"  
  
Mia tugged on his arm again. "It's no use!" she said desperately. "I can't pull you up, Garet! I'm not strong enough!" Releasing her grip, she turned back to the upper ledge. "Isaac, please!" she called up to him. "You have to save Garet!"  
  
Isaac knew he was powerless to help her. He had no rope to throw down, no psynergy he could use to lift Garet back to safety, no way of going down to the ledge without toppling into the abyss. As far as he could see, his friends were trapped.  
  
_It should be me down there, _Isaac thought bitterly. _Not Garet. I should have been watching Mia more carefully, not letting this lighthouse get the better of me. Because I was paying too much attention to my fear, he had to rescue her. This is my fault. _He knew it truly was not, but a tiny voice kept whispering in the back of his brain. _Your fault... your fault...  
  
_ Isaac looked down at Mia, who was still waiting for him to answer her plea. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring nod, and then, thinking maybe if he pondered for a few minutes some plan would come to him, turned to talk with Ivan. The Jupiter Adept looked very worried.   
  
"This doesn't look good," Isaac said, voicing his thoughts aloud. "We have to save Garet, and fast!" Ivan nodded. He opened his mouth to reply.  
  
"No, I'm afraid you won't be doing that..." said a deep, cold voice from somewhere behind them.  
  
Isaac and Ivan whirled around, their eyes searching for the source of the noise. They did not have long to wait. Two figures appeared from the shadows, their red eyes glowing menacingly.   
  
The figure on the right was female, a cruel smile on her face. She wore a rather skimpy leather dress, high leather boots, and a bright red cloak. Her skin had an odd pink hue to it. It took Isaac a moment to realize that her upper arms were bare, and the hard leathery covering on them was actually scales. She carried a deadly looking scythe in her right hand and looked ready to use it on a moment's notice.  
  
Her companion was no less barbaric looking. Heavy green armor covered his massive body. Though he carried no weapon, he looked like he could crush Isaac with his bare hands. By the expression on his face, Isaac judged he intended to do just that.  
  
"Who are you!?" Isaac demanded. He was certain he had never seen these people before, but they still somehow seemed oddly familiar. Maybe their names would trigger something in his memory.  
  
The woman smiled darkly, her red eyes glinting with some inner fire. "Me?" she purred. "Why, I'm Karst."  
  
"And I'm Agatio," the man boomed. Isaac recognized the voice that had startled them a few moments before. The pair walked towards the two Adepts, stopping about ten feet away and staring at them. It was the sort of stare one gives an insect just before squashing it.  
  
After a few moments, Isaac began to feel very uncomfortable under their gazes. "If you're not here to help my friend," he said, "then get out of my way so I can do it myself!"  
  
Karst shook her head, the evil smirk not leaving her face. "Your friends will have to take care of themselves," she said. "You have a little debt to repay."  
  
Ivan started at her words. "Debt?" he demanded, drawing the strange pair's attention away from Isaac and onto himself. "What are you talking about? We've never seen you before!"  
  
The man called Agatio scowled. "Regardless, you have done Karst here a great wrong, and you're beginning to become a hindrance to us."  
  
Ivan blinked. He looked towards Isaac for support, but the Venus Adept was just as confused. Isaac turned back to the pair and scrutinized them closely. What could he have done to anger these two, without ever having met them before? Suddenly, he realized who these people reminded him of.  
  
"Wait a second..." he said slowly. "You two look familiar. Do you know Saturos and Menardi?"  
  
Karst nodded, her smile growing wider and more menacing. "So you're not such a fool after all, Isaac!" She laughed, an unpleasant sound that reminded Isaac of flames licking at human flesh. "You are right. We are of the same clan. The Fire Clan, from the frozen land of Prox, far to the north!"  
  
Ivan looked confused. "Prox? Never heard of it."  
  
"That doesn't surprise me," Agatio answered. "Our town hangs on the brink of extinction." His fiery eyes narrowed. "And the seal on Alchemy is responsible!"  
  
Isaac became even more confused. Alchemy being sealed was endangering his village? What was he talking about? Alchemy being _released_ was the dangerous thing...  
  
"It matters not!" Karst interjected breezily, breaking Isaac from his thoughts. "Soon Prox will recover its lost power..."  
  
"We shall bring Prox back from the edge," Agatio agreed, "And then, all the people of Weyard will kneel before us!"  
  
Isaac could tell that the pair's haughty speech was beginning to anger Ivan. The Jupiter Adept took a step forward, shaking with rage. Isaac quickly placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to prevent him from going farther towards the two strange Mars Adepts.  
  
"You think we'd let you, after hearing all that nonsense?" Ivan shouted, still trembling but heeding Isaac's warning and not walking any further.  
  
Karst smiled even more widely. "See?" she said. "You're a hindrance!"  
  
Isaac glared at them, keeping his hand on Ivan's shoulder. "And Felix was trying to help you?" he asked.  
  
Agatio shrugged. "Actually, we don't know what Felix's objectives are."  
  
"And we don't care, as long as he lights the beacons on Jupiter Lighthouse," Karst added.  
  
Ivan clenched his fist. "Then get out of our way! We're here to stop Felix!"  
  
The pair simply smiled evilly, staring down at the Jupiter Adept. Ivan stood his ground. "Move, or we'll have to move you ourselves!" he said defiantly.  
  
Agatio looked over at his companion, a strange glint in his eyes. "Did you hear that, Karst? They actually want to fight!"  
  
Karst watched the two young Adepts appraisingly. "You mean to tell us that you would leave your friend... hanging?"  
  
Isaac realized that in the confusion of the Mars Adepts' arrival, he had forgotten about Garet. Alarmed, he glanced over his shoulder at the ledge below. Garet was still holding on, while Mia seemed torn as to whether she should focus her attention on him or on the plight of her other two friends up above. Abruptly, Isaac understood what Karst had been hinting at. This was too perfect a coincidence. A pair of obviously hostile Adepts just happening to come upon his group while two of their number were in mortal peril and unable to defend themselves...  
  
"So, this was all part of your plan?" he demanded.  
  
They did not answer, simply staring at him and smirking.  
  
"Cowards!" Ivan shouted angrily. "Stop playing dirty and fight fair!"  
  
Agatio growled. "If you really are the brats who killed Saturos and Menardi, then you earned some new foes!"  
  
"But answer me this," Karst added. "Would you still cry foul if you were fighting us four on two?"  
  
Ivan scowled. "That's why you were waiting up here? To set a trap and make Mia and Garet fall?"  
  
Agatio smiled broadly. "We didn't plan on snaring both of them, though... That **was** a pleasant surprise!"  
  
Isaac stared at the pair, everything clicking into place in his mind. "So that's the deal, is it? You came up here to fight us?"  
  
"Oh, did you figure that out on your own?" Karst purred. "Impressive! I'm quite fond of intelligent boys..."  
  
"I hope you don't think we're afraid of a fair fight, two on two," Ivan said.  
  
Agatio smirked. "A fair fight?"  
Karst shook her head, looking exceedingly pleased with herself. "I'm sorry if I misled you, but we have a third... A water Adept... Alex!"  
  
She paused, and looked around. Running a few paces backwards, she peered around the corner. "Alex? ...Where is he?"  
  
"What's wrong, Karst?" Agatio asked, still keeping his eyes on Isaac and Ivan.   
  
"It's Alex!" she answered. "He's gone!"  
  
Agatio turned around. "What!?" he demanded.  
  
"Alex?" Isaac asked, looking around, wondering if the Mercury Adept was going to teleport in from the shadows at any moment. Karst, however, still looked frustrated.  
  
"Did anyone see where he went?" she asked.   
  
Agatio scowled. "Forget about him! Honestly, I was planning to do the same to him as I'm about to do to them." He gestured over at Isaac, who tensed. He wondered if he should draw his sword. "My only regret," Agatio continued, "is that I won't be able to wipe that sneering smile off his face."  
  
Karst walked back to her place beside her partner, raising her scythe into a ready position. "Well, take out all of your aggressions on these brats... You'll feel better!"  
  
Isaac decided that the talk was over. Drawing his sword, he glanced at his surroundings. Behind him was the empty void of air and the small ledge where his two friends remained trapped. Before him were two angry Mars Adepts who seemed intent on killing him. It was not the best place for a battle. Stepping forward to try and put some distance between himself and a long drop to the ground, he readied his weapon and waited, hoping he would manage to come out of this alive.  
  
Agatio charged him a moment later. Isaac just managed to duck his head left to avoid the massive fists, sending him slightly off balance. Jumping to the side, he righted himself and brought his sword in a sweeping arch towards his foe. Agatio caught the blade on one of his heavy gauntlets, the metal glancing off without leaving so much as an impression in the leather. Isaac quickly backed away, seeing that even without a sword, his foe was extremely dangerous up close. Circling around so his back was to the wall of the lighthouse instead of a long fall to the ground, he raised his arm to the sky.  
  
_"Ragnarok!_" he cried, and a giant sword of light crashed into his foe. Agatio shrugged it off and charged at Isaac, who just barely managed to dodge his fists again.  
  
Isaac continued to circle his foe in this manner, relying on his superior agility to keep ahead of the much larger Agatio. However, though he concentrated his attacks on the male Mars Adept, he made sure to always keep one eye on the battle between Karst and Ivan at his back, ready to jump in and help his friend should he need it. Ivan seemed to be holding his own against Karst, using a tactic similar to Isaac's and blasting his foe with wind attacks from the rear. _We're doing well,_ Isaac thought, dodging another of Agatio's punches. He was about to jump to the side and send another Ragnarok at his foe when his vision exploded into a thousand stars.  
  
It took him a moment to realize what had happened. Agatio had anticipated his movement and brought up his other fist, slamming it into his jaw. He stumbled backwards a few paces, unable to see anything except flashing colored lights. When his vision finally cleared, he had to throw himself roughly to the floor to avoid another punch. Isaac scrambled to his feet, dashing away from the battle and taking up his fighting stance again, his mind racing to think of a strategy while trying to ignore the pain in his jaw.  
  
Isaac knew that Agatio's style of fighting was very forward and relied mostly on brute strength, therefore wasting a lot of energy. Given enough time, he should be able to tire the Mars Adept out. However, time was what Isaac did not have. Seeing that Agatio was able to shrug off Isaac's Ragnarok like it was nothing, long before he managed to exhaust his energy, Garet would have fallen off the lighthouse. He had to bring this pair down as quickly as possible or his friend was doomed.  
  
From the corner of his eye, he could see Ivan still fighting Karst, his staff locked against her metal scythe. While not nearly as massive as Agatio, the female Mars Adept was considerably stronger than the young Jupiter Adept, and Isaac saw that Ivan was quickly being pushed backwards towards the edge. Dashing forward, Isaac let off a Stone Spire at Karst's unprotected back. She dropped her guard, momentarily stunned, allowing Ivan to thwack her soundly with his staff. She staggered backwards, then narrowed her eyes and raised her staff again to counterattack. Ivan gave Isaac a quick nod of thanks before the two of them were pulled back into their respective battles.  
  
Time seemed to stretch thin as the fight continued, moving at a pace that, to Isaac's mind, seemed like crawling. He knew that in reality, every movement was lightning fast, every reflex shifting him just a fraction of a second out of harm's way. And yet, the battle was taking far too long. Garet could not hold on for much longer. Isaac knew his friend was strong, but a human being could only take so much before his strength failed. Isaac was sure that by now, Garet was nearing that breaking point.   
  
Isaac was nearing his breaking point as well. His head throbbed from Agatio's punches and his clothing smoked from the various fire attacks thrown by his foes. His lungs burned as though the flames had crept inside his body and he was finding it more difficult to dodge his enemy's blows with every passing second. He was severely hampered by the lack of Garet and Mia to help him; several times he had been about to call on Mia to heal him before realizing she was not there. _Stupid, Isaac,_ he thought. He had not realized how much he relied on his friends in major battles, and now that he was on his own, he could not cope.  
  
At least he still had Ivan at his back. The Jupiter Adept fought bravely, though he was much smaller than his opponents. Isaac smiled as he watched Ivan fighting out of the corner of his eye. He still marveled at how the young mage could go through all the trials of the past few months and still manage to be brave, strong and even cheerful at the end. Ivan had changed from when they first met. They had all changed. Through necessity or design, the lives and personalities of each member of their group had been altered irrevocably. Isaac could only hope that the change was a good one.   
  
_This quest... _Isaac thought. _It is not merely about saving the world. It is about saving ourselves from the darkness that tries to swallow us. It is about voyaging to the depths of the human soul and back again, becoming a better person from the journey.   
  
_ Then he paused. _...What in Weyard am I talking about?   
  
_Isaac shook his head and continued the battle, hoping fervently he wasn't beginning to think like Kraden.  
  
After about five minutes of fighting, everything fell apart.  
  
Both Adepts were tiring fast, from a combination of stress, the prior trials of climbing the lighthouse, and the superior strength of their opponents. Ivan was feeling the fatigue more than Isaac. The Jupiter Adept, never very effective at close range, was repeatedly forced into hand-to-hand combat with Karst because of the small size of the ledge. There was no room for him to use his normal battle tactics of dodging away and blasting his enemies with long range spells. The pair of Adepts were now fighting back to back, fending off their respective foes while covering each other at the same time.  
  
Ivan grimaced as another blow of Karst's scythe on his staff sent jarring vibrations up his arms. He could barely keep hold of his weapon anymore, let alone block attacks. He tried to focus his psynergy into a whirlwind powerful enough to blow his enemy away and buy some time, but his numbed brain would no longer cooperate. Ivan knew his battle would soon be over.  
  
"Isaac," he said, as he fought to stay standing, "I'm sorry.... I can't take any more..."  
  
Isaac, who stood just behind him, heard the fatigue and despair in his friend's voice. "Keep it together, Ivan!" he said encouragingly, hoping to provoke Ivan into composing himself. And his friend's words did reassure Ivan somewhat. He raised his staff again, thinking that if he was going to fall now, he would at least fall knowing he had given Isaac a chance of escaping the same fate.  
  
Karst did not plan on giving him that satisfaction. Her quick eyes saw his wavering defense and she brought back her scythe. The blade hummed through the air. For a second, time seemed to freeze and Ivan was once more in Altin, beneath the singing metal triangle of the guillotine that hungered for his blood. Karst and the lighthouse disappeared, and all around him was black, endless void, with the dreaded song of the blade throbbing in his ears. The Jupiter Adept froze, lost in the twisted embrace of his memory as death bore down upon him.  
  
The scythe glanced off the wooden shaft of the Crystal Rod Ivan still held before him. The impact knocked the weapon from his nerveless grasp, sending it spinning a few feet away. The blade of the scythe kept going, tearing viscously into his side. Crimson blood welled to the surface.  
  
The wound drained the last of Ivan's strength. He let out a small gasp of pain and crumpled to the floor, the tip of Karst's scythe still embedded in his side.   
  
Isaac looked over his shoulder just in time to see Ivan fall. For a second, he froze. Then he screamed his friends name and moved towards him, turning his back to Agatio.  
  
"Ha! You're a fool!" a voice rumbled, and too late Isaac realized his mistake. "Never let concern distract you in battle!"  
  
Then the world exploded.  
  
Every nerve burned, every sinew seared. Pain engulfed his senses, more powerful than any he had felt before. And not just physical pain. There was also the pain of failing his friends. Failing Ivan yet again. The fire of guilt mingled with Agatio's Psynergy as Isaac was carried into the air on a dragon of roaring flame. He did not know when he hit the ground.  
  
_So this is it, _he thought. _The end of everything. We tried, but we failed.  
  
_ He had failed. The pain let him see that. Not quite dead but not quite alive, it let him linger on to suffer for his mistakes. _Game over.  
  
_ There was no Felix this time. No miraculous escape. No Water of Life or nearby sanctum. Just... pain.  
  
Agatio walked away from the limp body, kneading his sore knuckles against his palm. Karst reached down and freed her weapon from her adversary's body, disdainfully wiping the blade clean on Ivan's cloak before smiling cruelly and kicking the Jupiter Adept's rod off the ledge. It spun silently through the air and disappeared into the mist.  
  
"He won't be needing that anymore," she said, her eyes glowing with triumph.  
  
Below the ledge, Mia and Garet watched the weapon fall.  
  
"Ivan's staff..." Garet whispered as it passed. He trembled with something more than fatigue.  
  
"So... then he's..." Mia said, her heart growing cold.  
  
Karst and Agatio were talking on the ledge above. There were no answering voices.  
  
The lie was becoming truth. The nightmare was becoming reality.  
  
Or maybe it had been real all along...  
  


-----------------------------------------------------------  
  


  
  
And that's the end of this chapter. I apologize for the delay, but I hope the length makes up for it somewhat... ^^;  
  
Oh, and before you go, I have a shameless plug: if you're a fan of Zelda: The Wind Waker, you might like to check out my new one-shot I posted in that section... It's a short piece that deals with the impatience of the King of Red Lions (whom I think is actually Kraden in disguise... -_-)  
  
Please remember to review!  
  



	17. The Shattered Mirror

Since I haven't done this for awhile, here's some review responses...

__

Net Strife: I've neglected the other world for the simple reason that nothing's happening there at the moment... but don't worry. It's far from forgotten.

__

Morncreek: AWA an AU? I've been trying my hardest to make it not be... It's more of a 'what if' tale. After all, there may be nothing in the game saying that Isaac was trapped in an alternate dimension for half his quest, but there's nothing saying he _wasn't_, now is there? ^_^

__

Deku: o_O Inquisitive, aren't you? I'll try and answer all your questions: First, no, Agatio was not wearing Lemurian steel. He's just strong. He _is_ from the same clan as Saturos and Menardi, and it took Isaac's entire team a while to defeat them. Perhaps I did make him a little _too_ strong, but Isaac is supposed to lose to him, and I didn't envision Isaac losing unless he was really outmatched. Second, Evil Isaac... you'll have to wait and see what happens to him. As to how I managed Isaac/Mia and Garet/Mia in the same fic: Very carefully. Fourth, the tendency of Alternate Weyardian citizens to try strangling Isaac... what would _you _do if the guy who had ruined your life suddenly showed up claiming to be your friend? Fifth... Sheba started typing again because the Federation forced Picard to take back the universal translator. Something about 'violating the prime directive'... Sixth... Am I going to kill off any main characters? Perhaps... ^_^ Seventh... I appreciate all reviews, signed or not. And no, you're not asking too many questions. 

Again, this chapter contains dialogue straight from the game. However, because the text of the meeting between Isaac and Felix in Contigo is somewhat inane at times, I've modified it. Also, I've changed the details of Ivan's house, as it doesn't appear to be habitable in the game. Hopefully no one will object.

Many thanks to Midnight for looking this chapter over for me, and to her, Triad, and everyone else for yelling at me to update. ^^; I'll try not to take ages next time...

-----------------------------------------------------------  
  
CHAPTER 17: The Shattered Mirror 

  
He wasn't dead- that was always a good thing. He wasn't entirely sure he was alive, though.

The world kept fading in and out... one moment he felt cold stone beneath his back, sending arching pain through his raw, charred skin, and the next, he was lying in a much softer bed, with just as much pain but a lot less charring. Then the stone came back again. He rode this seesaw of consciousness for several seconds, his mind becoming extremely confused.

There were voices as well, just as fragmented as the world around him. His subconscious recognized them, but the pain prevented it from sending that information to the rest of his brain.

"_It... close, but we..."_

_"He... concern for... opportunity... strike..."_

A fresh spasm jolted through his body, and Isaac convulsed in pain, wishing vaguely that he would just die and be done with it. This half-life was unbearable, and falling unconscious would bring no relief.

The distant voices sounded surprised. "_He... alive? Even after..."_

"_It...would be... shame... regret letting...live..."_

_Ah, they're going to kill me,_ Isaac thought, his mind unable to let him feel more emotion. Perhaps it was just as well.

"_Stop right there!"_

Another voice, commanding and cold, with a hint of righteous anger broke through the mist clouding Isaac's senses. He would have smiled if his facial muscles would obey him. _Of course, Felix saves the day._

"_Felix? ...going on?" _Isaac now recognized the voice as Agatio.

Isaac struggled to open his eyes as Felix and the two Mars Adepts began talking. This task was made more difficult for the fact that he kept phasing in and out of universes. He tried to ignore the pain and concentrated mightily, his blue eyes finally snapping open.

Though his vision was fuzzy, he could clearly tell that Karst was standing over him, her scythe pointed at his chest. A few paces away was a large green shape, presumably Agatio. Facing them were more hazy figures, most likely Felix and his group.

They were talking angrily. Apparently, Felix wanted to protect Isaac while the two Mars Adepts, of course, wanted to kill him. Isaac tried to follow the conversation but his senses had gone beyond comprehending sound. His body screamed that the pain was too great, that he should be unconscious by now. But he knew that he could not. He could not leave now, not when his friends were still in danger...

Suddenly, Karst removed her scythe and moved a few steps closer to Felix's group. She was saying something in a loud angry voice. Isaac blinked painfully, trying to clear his head and hear what she was yelling.

"...be sure to bring with you the Mars Star that Isaac carries on him," she was shouting at the dark shape that Isaac assumed must be Felix. 

_So he's still going to light the beacon, then? _Isaac thought, as the shapes of Felix's group shifted slightly, surprised. 

"How did you know about the Mars Star?" Kraden's voice demanded from somewhere to the left.

"Did you think this was nothing more than revenge?" Agatio replied, an audible smirk in his voice. "Alex told us about it!"

Felix did not move, standing rigidly staring at the two Mars Adepts. He seemed unwilling to take the star, though Isaac could not understand why. 

Karst took another step towards Felix and raised her scythe. "Take the Mars Star, or we will be forced to make you!" she demanded. 

The person on Felix's left made a sudden motion as if to confront Karst, but Felix raised his arm in warning. "Don't, Picard," he said quietly.

_Felix's group did meet up with Picard... _Isaac thought as Agatio growled, "Don't force our hand on this!"

Silence fell, and the tension on the ledge grew. _Interesting... _Isaac thought. _Felix appears to still want to light the lighthouses, and yet he's not willing to take the Mars Star from me, even though I can do nothing to stop him at the moment.... And he's defending me from Karst and Agatio, although they are his allies. Something else is going on here... But if Felix doesn't take the Star soon and do as Karst and Agatio tell him, Garet will fall. He might have fallen already. There's only one thing to do..._

"Go on, Felix. Take it."

There was a gasp of surprise from someone in Felix's group, Jenna probably, and everyone turned to look at Isaac. He tried to sit up, but his arms wouldn't seem to obey him. Instead he opted for speaking from the ground. 

"I don't know why you're doing this," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "But I trust you..." _And you've saved my life twice, now._ "Take the Mars Star." 

Felix looked uncertain, but after a moment, he walked forward and knelt beside Isaac. The older Venus Adept's eyes widened as he saw the extent of his childhood friend's injuries.

"Isaac, you..."

"I'm fine," Isaac murmured, trying to convince himself as well. "Don't worry about me. Just take the star and help Garet..."

"Where is it?"

"Right side belt pouch," Isaac whispered, closing his eyes and fighting to stay awake as the word began to spin again. 

He felt Felix fumble with the clasp of his pouch, then the familiar weight of the Mars Star being lifted from the small leather sack. Isaac opened one eye and saw Felix looking at him worriedly, holding the shining mythril bag in one hand. 

"Go on..." he croaked. The older Adept hesitated, but stood up, looking over at Karst. 

"That's better," she snapped. "We'll be waiting for you on the Aerie." She and Agatio walked off, pushing past Jenna and Kraden who stood in their path.

With the Mars Adepts no longer blocking them, the rest of Felix's group rushed forward. Jenna moved quickly to Isaac's side, pulling healing items from her pack.

"Isaac!" she said happily, as he opened his eyes to look at her. "I don't know how you survived that attack, but I'm glad you did..." She began probing the burn marks on his chest, wincing slightly at the extent of the injuries. "Just hold on for a moment..." She closed her eyes, and her hands began to glow fiery red. Isaac wondered what on Weyard she was trying to do until he felt the burning pain in his limbs subsiding. Now able to raise his head slightly, he looked down to see his burns disappearing, not even leaving a scab.

"Since when can you use healing psynergy, Jen?" he asked, awed. 

She smiled. "Since I got four of these little nuisances," she said, several Mars Djinn appearing on her shoulders as she carefully rubbed healing salve on his chest to ensure everything healed properly. "It's not exactly one of my favorite talents, but it comes in handy at times like these." She stopped her ministrations and sat back, surveying him. "There... you'll be sore for a while, probably, but there's no permanent damage."

"How is Ivan?" Isaac asked, struggling to pull himself into a sitting position. Jenna quickly offered her hand, and he sat up slowly, wincing as strained muscles were pulled taught. 

"He's still unconscious, but Sheba and Picard are taking care of him," Jenna said, looking over to the right where Picard was currently in the midst of casting Ply. Kraden stood beside them holding a potion and Felix hovered on the sidelines, apparently unsure whether he should stay or head after Karst and Agatio to the Aerie. 

"Go on, Felix," Kraden said, looking up and noticing him standing there. "We will tend to Garet. You should hurry and light the beacon."

Isaac tensed slightly. Jenna noticed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Not now," she whispered. As much as it pained him, Isaac knew she was right. There was nothing he could do to stop the lighthouse being lit, not with his friends in danger and his strength almost gone. 

Felix glanced once in Isaac's direction, then nodded at Kraden and started walking towards the door to the lighthouse interior. He was almost out of sight when Picard called him back. 

"Felix, wait..." The Venus Adept turned and Picard got to his feet, hurrying after his friend. 

"We cannot trust Karst and Agatio," he said, stopping beside Felix. "Take me with you."

"Good thinking," Sheba said, looking up from her ministrations. "If something happens up there, you'll be safer with Picard."

_They do not trust their own companions? _Isaac wondered. After meeting Karst and Agatio, he wasn't exactly surprised, but it still was an interesting development. _There is definitely more going on here than meets the eye._

Felix looked around at the rest of his group. "Are you sure you'll be able to help Garet if Picard and I both go?" he asked. 

"We'll be fine," Jenna assured him. "Take Picard with you..."

"Listen to the others," Kraden agreed. "Safety in numbers, as they say."

Felix nodded. "Come on, then," he said to Picard. "We should hurry before those two think we're backing out on our promise."

As soon as they disappeared around the corner, Isaac turned to Jenna. 

"Why, Jenna?" he asked angrily. "Why does Felix have to light the beacon? He's putting the entire world in danger!"

"...It's complicated, Isaac," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Now isn't the time to explain. We have to help Garet first."

"Jenna's right," Kraden agreed. "We have to help Garet. He can't hold on much longer."

Sheba turned back to Ivan, who was still unconscious. "I'll take care of him," she said, looking up at Kraden. The scholar nodded, handed her the potion he had been holding and headed towards the edge to survey the situation.

"Can you stand, Isaac?" Jenna asked, standing herself. He nodded, taking her proffered hand and pulling himself to his feet. 

"I'll be all right," he said, limping slightly as he walked towards the end of the platform. His body was still sore after the beating it had taken, but Jenna's Psynergy seemed to have healed everything major. Jenna followed behind, ready to catch him if he stumbled.

Garet was still holding on, though he looked very tired. Mia knelt beside him apparently unsure what to do. At the sound of footsteps, she looked up.

"Ah! Isaac, you're all right!" She said, seeming relieved. "Is Ivan...?"

"He's fine. Sheba's taking care of him," Isaac assured her. "How're you doing, Garet?" he asked, looking worriedly at the red-haired Adept.

"I'm still hanging in here," Garet answered through gritted teeth. "Don't know how much longer I can last, though. Help would be appreciated."

"I have some rope in my pack," Jenna said, pulling the satchel off her shoulder and opening it. "Now if we can just find something to anchor it to..."

She pulled out a coil of thin cord and looked around. Isaac searched also, but there seemed to be nothing nearby but blank walls.

"Here we go," Jenna said, pointing upwards. Hanging from an upper ledge were two heavy chains, swinging slightly in the breezes surrounding the lighthouse. Isaac followed her gaze dubiously.

"Jenna, those chains are much too high. There's no way for you to tie anything to them."

"Just watch," Jenna replied, smiling. She placed the cord on the ground and sifted through her pack again. This time, she emerged with a purple rock about the size of a walnut.

"_Lash_!" She commanded, gripping the stone tightly in her right fist. The cord on the ground began to glow. As Isaac watched, the rope unwound, flew into the air, looped through the last link in the chain and tied itself around it in a secure knot.

"What--" Isaac began, but Jenna cut him off. 

"Lash pebble. Bestows rather useful Psynergy. Now, stay here, I'll go down and help Garet." She tugged on the dangling rope to test it and then swung gracefully over the edge, lowering herself hand over hand to the ledge below.

Isaac watched anxiously as she landed on the platform, heading quickly to Mia. "If we work together, we should be able to pull him up," Jenna told the healer, and Mia nodded. The pair grasped hold of Garet's arm.

"One... two...three!" Both girls pulled as hard as they could, managing to drag Garet's torso onto the ledge. Another swift tug brought his entire body safely back onto the solid stone. 

"You all right, Garet?" Jenna asked, helping him to sit up. He nodded, looking very relieved. 

"Thanks," he said. "A few more minutes and I would've been a goner."

"Let's look at that arm," Mia said, kneeling and inspecting his left arm, which lay rigidly at his side. "Just as I thought," she pronounced after a moment's prodding. "You've dislocated your shoulder. Hold still... this will sting a bit."

She held his shoulder firmly and, with an expert motion learned after years of medical practice, shoved his arm socket back into place.

"Aah! Mia!" Garet cried, jerking away from her. "That _hurt!_"

"I warned you," she replied, her hands now cupped around his injured shoulder and glowing with blue Psynergy. "There. Try and move your arm now."

He did so, stretching it out and flexing his hand. "It feels fine now," he reported. "A bit stiff, but that's expected."

Mia moved to his right side and cast Ply on his other shoulder, to take care of any strained muscles incurred by his long hang. "Are you all right to climb back up?" she asked, looking at the rope dangling at the side of the platform. He nodded.

"I feel as good as new now, Mia, thanks." He turned to Jenna. "You too, Jen... You arrived in the nick of time."

She shrugged. "Hey, I couldn't just leave you there! You might be clumsy, but you're still my friend, right?"

He smiled at her, and nodded. "Right. Now, let's get off this ledge!"

He grabbed hold of the dangling rope, pulling himself up. Mia and Jenna followed.

Soon all three were safely back on the upper platform. Jenna detached the rope by shooting a fireball at the knot as Mia rushed over to Isaac, embracing him tightly. 

"You look awful, Isaac," she said a moment later, laughing as she pulled back to survey him. Isaac supposed she was right. Though Jenna had taken care of his burns, Psynergy could not repair clothing and his tunic was in tatters from Agatio's flame attack. His hair was singed as well, and the end of his yellow scarf had been burned away. 

"I don't think I can fix that..." Mia said, fingering the charred cloth. 

"It's all right. I have another," Isaac assured her. Mia looked at him sideways. 

"I was sort of thinking you might like to try a new look now..."

"Hey, this scarf is _me_," he replied, giving her a mock hurt expression. "It's my trademark, like Garet's hair is his."

Mia rolled her eyes. "And he looks like he's got a porcupine on his head. So do you, for that matter." She ruffled his golden hair. "Don't you ever comb it?"

"I gave up years ago," he replied. 

She shook her head and hugged him again, whispering in his ear, "I'm glad you're alright."

"Just kiss already," Garet said loudly from the sidelines. Both Mia and Isaac jumped and then glared at him.

He was spared an angry rebuke by a deep rumbling noise. Garet very nearly fell off the ledge again as the lighthouse shook violently. High above, there was a blazing flash of purple light which flickered for a moment, then solidified into a steady glow.

"The beacon..." Garet said, stepping away from the edge and looking up. "Damn... Too late again."

Jenna avoided her friend's eyes as she carefully packed the rope back into her knapsack. She seemed to be taking a lot longer than necessary to do so.

Isaac watched her work for a few minutes. When she had rearranged her belongings five times, she no longer had any excuse to avoid him. She stood up, still not meeting his eyes. "Jenna--" Isaac began.

"I'd better go check on Picard and Felix," she said abruptly, cutting him off. "They should have been heading back by now..." And with that, she took off quickly towards the Aerie.

"...What's up with her?" Garet asked curiously as she disappeared around the corner. Isaac shrugged.

"We'll find out one way or another," he said, looking over at Kraden, who was standing to the side and also avoiding his eyes.

At that moment, Ivan, who had been lying unconscious with Sheba hovering over him, began to stir. He groaned and opened his eyes, looking dazedly around the lighthouse. 

"What? Where am I?" he asked groggily, blinking several times to clear his head. "Oh... I'm back here again."

"You all right, Ivan?" Mia asked, releasing Isaac and walking towards him.

"...I think so." He blinked again and raised his head. "...Sheba? You shouldn't be in the real world..."

Sheba looked at him oddly. "What?"

"You must still be confused after that battle, Ivan," Isaac interjected quickly. "That was quite a beating you took. Good thing Jenna, Sheba, and the others were around to help."

"Oh," Ivan said, catching on. "Right." He turned to Sheba and smiled. "Thank you."

"It was nothing," Sheba replied, Ivan's strange remark seemingly forgotten. "We couldn't just let you die, after all."

Ivan sat up slowly, looking around at his friends and then up at the soft glow coming from the Aerie. "They lit it, huh?"

Isaac nodded glumly. "And we have yet to hear an explanation."

Neither Sheba nor Kraden answered his subtle hint, both finding something extremely interesting to stare at in the swirling mist around the lighthouse.

There was silence among the group for a few minutes. Sheba kept glancing anxiously up at the beacon, then over at Isaac, and then at the door leading into the lighthouse. Finally, she stood up. "They're taking way too long..." she said worriedly. "I'll go and make sure nothing's happened." She glanced at Kraden, who nodded, and headed for the doorway. 

"Kraden." Isaac said after she left. The old man reluctantly turned to face him. "Are you going to tell us why you're doing this?"

"Yeah," Garet agreed. "You're a scientist, Kraden. You know the consequences of lighting the beacons. Why are you helping to destroy the world?"

"...I think that's something Felix should explain," Kraden said. 

"Fine, then." Isaac moved towards Ivan and helped him to his feet. "Let's go after him and ask."

"What?" Kraden asked, startled.

"The rest of your group ran off, and somehow I think you will as well if you can find an excuse," Isaac replied. "I'm not letting Felix get away again, not without talking first. So we're going together to find him."

"...All right," Kraden said. "Yes... yes, that is a good idea. Follow me, everyone. We've been to the Aerie before trying to get the cover off."

He walked away quickly, the four Adepts hurrying to follow. 

The path to the Aerie was not very long, and no monsters accosted them on the way. Kraden began to relax during the journey, which may not have been a good thing. He began to babble about the architecture they passed and the possible methods the ancient builders had used to construct the Lighthouse. Just as Isaac was beginning to sink into the half-asleep state he usually reserved for Kraden's lectures, the journey abruptly ended as they stepped out onto the Aerie. 

It looked basically identical to the other lighthouse aeries with stone steps heading up to the beacon well, over which hovered the gigantic, pulsating purple orb that contained the elemental power of Jupiter. Isaac could feel what Psynergy he had left draining away, overwhelmed by the power of his opposing element. This was too much to take... it was too high, there was too much wind swirling around... too much Jupiter closing in, tugging at him, smothering him...

He felt something touch his arm and looked down to see Mia watching him. "You all right?" she whispered. "You're shaking..."

"I'm fine," he assured her. 

They started climbing the steps, Kraden babbling about how irresponsible Felix and the others were and how they shouldn't keep old men waiting. Isaac heard a sound like stone grating as they stepped onto the flat roof, and he looked over just in time to see an elevator like those he had used at the other lighthouses descending. For a second, Isaac thought Felix had run away from him once again, but then he saw the Venus Adept, his sister, Sheba and Picard standing beside the beacon, watching them arrive. All four had their weapons out.

_What? Are they planning on fighting us after just saving our lives? _Isaac thought bewilderedly, eyeing Felix's drawn blade. The older Adept looked out of breath and not very happy, but the latter could be attributed to the affects of the Jupiter Beacon. Isaac noticed there was fresh blood on his tunic. 

"Oh! You're looking better!" Kraden exclaimed when he saw the group. The Adepts glanced at each other, confused. Felix's group definitely didn't appear any better than before. On the contrary, they looked like they'd just been through a major battle. Apart from Felix's injuries, Sheba had a black eye and there were burn marks on Picard's clothing. Jenna seemed relatively unharmed but she had the glazed-eyed look of one who had used too much Psynergy at once. _They must have been fighting Karst and Agatio. _Isaac realized._ Probably won too, since they're still alive. Then it must have been the Mars Adepts using that elevator... Wonder what the disagreement was about?_

"Felix, Jenna..." Isaac began, deciding to ignore Kraden's odd comment and plough ahead. Felix avoided his eyes and Jenna nodded, returning the greeting.

"Isaac... Garet..."

Garet scowled and looked over at the returning elevator. "Man! They got away! What a bunch of jerks!"

Isaac decided to take charge of the situation. "All right, Felix!" he said, stepping forward and staring the other Venus Adept straight in the eyes. "We want to know what's going on!"

"It's quite complicated, Isaac," Kraden said while Felix stared unblinkingly back. "There are a number of extenuating circumstances."

Garet's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about, Kraden?"

Ivan stepped forward, jumping between Garet, who was beginning to look murderous, and Felix and Picard, whose weapons were raising ever so slightly. "Look, I don't think any of us are in any shape for another fight right now," he said, glancing pleadingly from one group to the other.

"What do you mean, Ivan?" Isaac asked. "Felix owes us an explanation!"

"I'm just saying that we should get ourselves back to Contigo and sort things out there," Ivan offered. "We'll get nowhere if we stand here glaring at each other with weapons out."

Felix's party looked at one another. Then Kraden nodded. "That's a sound plan... I fully agree."

Isaac hesitated, then nodded as well. "You're right. We can't fight now. Let's head back to Contigo. What do you say, Felix? Can we talk there?"

Felix stared at him for a moment and then inclined his head slightly to indicate his agreement. 

"Fine, then," Isaac said deciding the negotiations were finished. He turned to leave. "We'll be waiting for you," he called over his shoulder as his group headed for the exit. "So don't think you can sneak off again!"

"Is it really a good idea to just leave them?" Garet muttered as they reentered the lighthouse. "They'll probably take off and we'll never see them again!"

Isaac shook his head. "I trust Felix's integrity. And if it turns out that I can't... well, then, the world's already lost."

"What?" Garet asked, but Isaac had already turned a corner. He ran after him, Mia and Ivan following. "Hey! Isaac! Wait up!" 

------

Another swarm of villagers heralded their return to Contigo, though this group was much smaller. Most of the townsfolk seemed to have disappeared, leaving the streets rather empty.

"Welcome back, Ivan," greeted Deedee, the female villager who had been part of the group accosting them before. She smiled at them widely. "We thought you'd be returning soon. Was it you who lit the Lighthouse?"

Ivan shook his head. "No, it wasn't us... Listen, ma'am... That other group of travelers you told us about will be arriving here shortly, and it's imperative we meet with them. Is there someplace nearby where we could wait?"

The woman nodded, still smiling. "Of course! Right this way..." She began pushing back through the crowd. "Your house is up there on the hill. You can wait there."

"My house?" Ivan asked, following her. "I have a house?"

"Of course you do, Ivan," Deedee replied, looking at him over her shoulder. "Where do you think your family lived?"

Ivan couldn't think of a reply, so he opted to just smile and look at the scenery. 

The 'hill' was nothing more than an elevated pile of dirt, but the house looked sturdy enough. The woman lead Ivan, Isaac, Garet, Mia, and the gaggle of gaping villagers to the front door. She opened the door, which, in the ancient Weyardian tradition, was unlocked, and ushered the Adepts inside. 

"You just wait here and relax," she said, smiling widely again. "When the other group arrives, we'll tell them to come up here."

"Thank you very much, ma'am," Ivan thanked her politely.

"Oh no, Ivan, it's I who should be thanking you." Deedee gave him a hug and then walked out the door, still smiling. 

Ivan closed the door and leaned against it, closing his eyes. "Are you supposed to be afraid of your own hometown's residents?" he asked the others, a rather odd expression on his face.

Mia suppressed a grin, but Isaac nodded, completely straight-faced. 

"It happens to everyone, Ivan," he said sagely. "There was one kid in my hometown who would always follow me around and invite himself to my house and eat all the food and make holes in my roof when I'd just finished fixing it..."

Garet shook his head sympathetically. "I feel for you, Isaac. That sounds very annoyin--" He stopped in midsentence. "Hey wait a minute, you're talking about _me_!"

Ivan smiled as Garet lunged at Isaac, who ran away laughing. There wasn't much room to dodge in the small house, though, so the Venus Adept was soon caught and tacked to the ground . The two friends tussled good-naturedly for a few moments, until Mia decided they were liable to break something and pulled them apart.

"We're supposed to be saving the world, here," she told them sternly. 

The boys looked at their feet, mumbling apologies. She glared at them, but her expression soon softened and dissolved into laughter. She gave Isaac a hug and then walked after Ivan, who had slipped away during the commotion and was now exploring the house.

"What was that about?" Garet asked Isaac as Mia walked away.

"Who knows?" Isaac replied, shaking his head. "I'll never understand girls..."

"...So this is ...my house?" Ivan said quietly, standing in the corner and surveying the room. It was an average one room dwelling. A neatly made bed was against one wall, with a set of bookshelves and other assorted pieces of furniture standing nearby. A wooden table, a few chairs, and a small brick stove made a kitchen area in one corner. Ivan wandered over to the bed, noticing the small baby cradle standing at the foot. Mia followed, stopping a few feet away and surveying him silently.

"I wonder... where are my parents?" he asked her softly, trailing a finger along the edge of the cradle. A fine layer of dust clung to his hand. He wiped it off on his tunic, making a smear of grey among the red of dried blood. 

Mia watched him wipe more dust from the wood, unsure how to answer. She doubted his parents were still alive. The state of the house only confirmed what she had suspected from the moment they discovered Contigo was his birthplace. There had only been strangers in the crowd. Mia just couldn't imagine any parent having their child return after years of separation and not rush out to greet them if they were able. _Not that I'm really an expert on parenthood,_ she thought wryly. _I can barely remember my own..._

Ivan looked up at her, smiling slightly though his eyes were still distant. "Don't worry, Mia," he said, not needing to use Mind Read to see her thoughts. "I'm not going to get my hopes up.... It would be nice if they _were_ alive, but if not..." He shrugged. "I've still got my sister, and I've got my friends. That's about as good a family as anyone could wish for."

Mia smiled at him. "A family, huh," she said, looking back over to where Isaac and Garet had resumed chasing one another, nearly knocking over a lampstand in the process. "I'm not sure if I want you three boys as relatives, but I guess I can live with it."

Ivan laughed, then yelped as Isaac bowled past him, with Garet just behind. The Jupiter Adept quickly joined in the chase, shouting after them to apologize. Mia shook her head and sat down on the bed, deciding it was best to let them work off their post-battle adrenaline without interference. If blood was drawn, she'd step in, but for now, she was content just to laugh for a few minutes and forget the events of the previous hours. 

And forget she had no idea what they should do next.

------

It was another ten minutes before a soft knock at the door announced the others' arrival. By then, the boys had calmed down, and retreated to sit impatiently around the table. Isaac put down the map of Atteka he had found in a drawer and went to answer the door, nodding curtly as Felix and his group filed into the room. 

"I'm glad you kept your promise, Felix," he said, shutting the door behind them. It made a rather hollow sounding thud. The two Venus Adepts locked eyes for a moment, sizing each other up. "Why don't we make sure we all know each other's names, and then get down to business?"

The groups introduced themselves briefly, Isaac and Ivan tactfully pretending they were meeting Picard for the first time. There was no point revealing their involvement in the alternate universe at this point, when events in the real world were so uncertain.

"All right," Garet said, after all the names had been said. He crossed his arms skeptically. "Let's hear what Felix has to say for himself."

A flash of annoyance crossed Jenna's face at his singling out of her brother, but answered. "What _can_ we say? Has Felix ever harmed you? Have we ever fought against you?"

Isaac shook his head slowly, considering Jenna's point. Sheba, lurking behind her taller companions, was quick to put in her own words on her friend's behalf. "Felix has been avoiding you, but he never had any intention of fighting you or anything..."

"And he definitely helped us out back on Jupiter Lighthouse," Mia said quietly, glancing in Isaac's direction.

"But, Jenna..." Ivan said, "Isaac and Garet have been worried about you! They've been searching for you since this nightmare began! How could you just run away from them like that?"

Picard, silent until now, spoke up. "She was afraid that if we met, we would be forced to fight..." he said evenly. "She didn't want that.

"I know that now..." Isaac said, frowning slightly. "But that still doesn't explain why you're doing this..." He glanced at Felix again, but the man's eyes were blank.

Kraden coughed and adjusted his spectacles. "Felix betrayed, Vale, Isaac... That's why he hasn't been able to face you." The scholar began to pace the length of the room. "Felix had hoped to play the villain alone, without getting Jenna or me involved..."

Garet glanced at Felix quizzically, then turned back to Kraden. "He betrayed Vale? Kraden, what are you talking about?"

Kraden stopped walking and looked at the Mars Adept over the top of his wire-rimmed glasses. "He conspired to steal the Elemental Stars and fire the beacons of the four lighthouses."

Mia frowned. "That's what Saturos and Menardi were trying to do..."

"Why were you helping them?" Ivan asked, looking at Jenna and Felix.

Jenna looked at her boots. "Our parent's lives were at stake! We had to help!"

Isaac's eyes widened. He glanced over at Garet, who looked just as startled as he felt.

"Parents?" Garet asked, slowly. "But... your parents died three years ago, in that storm..."

Jenna and Felix were silent, so Kraden answered. "That night, Saturos and his men raided Sol Sanctum... The storm was their doing."

Jenna looked up, staring Garet in the eyes. "Garet, you saw two strangers that night- Saturos and Menardi. They were the only survivors of the raiding party."

Isaac glanced over at Garet again, fragments of memory creeping into his mind. The night... rain pounding the earth... two silhouettes on a cliff... A giant sword and a steel scythe, and burning, burning eyes...

"They failed to solve the mystery of Sol Sanctum," Kraden continued, picking up the story from Jenna. "In doing so, they triggered the storm."

"Everyone thought that you were killed by that boulder, Felix," Jenna said, turning to her brother. "I can't tell you how glad I was to find you were alive!"

Kraden glanced over at Isaac. "In fact," he said, not quite able to meet the Venus Adept's eyes, "Nobody was killed by the boulder that day."

Isaac's heart leapt. He stared at Kraden, hardly daring to believe. "So that means..." he said softly, his voice trailing off. _Could it be... Could Dad really be... alive?_

"Wait a minute, Kraden," Ivan said, and the scholar's eyes swiveled over to the Jupiter Adept. "Did you just say that _nobody_ was killed by that boulder?"

"But what about Isaac's dad?" Mia asked, looking puzzled and glancing over at Isaac. "And Jenna and Felix's parents? I thought they died that day!"

"I'm not so sure now..." Isaac whispered. Garet stared at him, confused.

Kraden looked relieved. "Yes! If Felix survived, Kyle and the others may have as well... And apparently, they did. They were taken to Prox as hostages to convince Vale to hand over the elemental stars. Unfortunately, that plan did not work. It soon became apparent from interrogation of the prisoners that the elders of Vale would never hand over the stars, even for the lives of some of their citizens."

"So they changed the plan..." Felix said quietly. "The Proxian elders knew that an Adept of each element was required to enter all the elemental lighthouses. They decided since they could not use their prisoners against Vale directly, they would steal the stars and use my parents as leverage against _me_, so I would follow them and help them enter the Venus Lighthouse."

Isaac stared at Felix with newfound respect. This explained so much... He had often wondered what could have happened to change the older Venus Adept as much as he had. The Felix of his childhood was duty-bound almost to a fault, always looking after his little sister and preventing her from getting into trouble. Isaac had not been able to reconcile that Felix with the same one who abandoned his sister for three years and then popped up again, apparently helping to take over the world. But now, Isaac understood. That Felix he had known had never disappeared. He was exactly the same as always. And it was because of his loyalty to his family that he had acted the way he did.

"But... why didn't you tell us?" Mia asked Felix and Jenna. "We could have worked together to save your parents, couldn't we?"

Felix shook his head. "No. Saturos and Menardi were far too powerful for you to handle when you first started your quest. Challenging them would have been suicide."

"There's more to it than that," Kraden interjected. "Felix had another reason to light the lighthouse beacons. Unless they all are lit... Weyard will eventually be destroyed."

Isaac stared at the aged scholar. "Destroyed?" he said, unable to believe what he was hearing. "But... how? Why?"

"King Hydros, Ruler of Lemuria, says our world is steadily shrinking," said Picard quietly. Everyone turned to look at the Lemurian, who had not spoken more than a sentence since entering the house. He seemed unfazed by the sudden attention focused on him, and continued in the same calm tone. "There are maps to prove this. Weyard has grown smaller with each passing year since the Lighthouses were extinguished. Gaia Falls is eroding it away." 

"Elemental energy drives the growth of civilization," said Sheba. "Without it, we and our world will wither."

"All that just because the lighthouses aren't illuminated?" Mia asked skeptically. 

"According to my research, that seems to be the case," Kraden said. "Without the Elemental energies to sustain it, the fragile balance of the world has been disrupted. The waterfalls at the edge of the planet rage unchecked. Within a two centuries, perhaps sooner... the power of the water will cause the continents to entirely disappear."

Garet frowned. "But... once the lighthouses are all lit, you said the world would end anyway!"

"That might be true too," Kraden admitted. "But if we do nothing, the world will definitely be destroyed... There is no way of preventing the world from reaching its natural end. However, we can save Weyard from withering away due to the actions of man."

Garet turned. "And Felix, you knew this? You were helping them because you knew what was happening?"

Felix slowly nodded, and Garet shook his head admiringly.

"You're a lot smarter than I remember you being..."

Isaac stared at them. He turned from one face to the next, seeing Felix's stoical determination, Jenna's quiet pleading, Picard's passive stare, Sheba's naive acceptance and Kraden's eager curiosity. They truly believed what they spoke. He turned to his own group, and saw that they were being swayed as well- Garet looked thoughtful, and Mia was nodding slightly. Then he turned to Ivan. The Jupiter Adept looked back at him, his face betraying inner turmoil.

"Isaac..." he said quietly. "What do we do?"

Isaac shook his head. "I don't know anymore..."

And he didn't. He had promised himself he wouldn't let his friends or his world end up like the alternate Weyard. He had thought that task would be relatively simple. Prevent the beacons from being lit, prevent anyone from obtaining Alchemy, and no one would have the power to become a dictator. No single person would have the might to control entire continents. But what Felix proposed... It would achieve the end he had vowed would never come. 

_But if Weyard will end anyway..._

Perhaps things would not end up like the other Weyard. After all, that road had been forged after the anguish of a death. No one had died here... yet. He looked around at his friends. They could resist the temptation to take Alchemy. They were strong...

And then the words the alternate Mia had spoken to him, ages ago on his first day in her world came to his mind...

_"You told us that you wanted to light the lighthouses, that the power of Alchemy could bring him back to life. We didn't want to go along, but what could we do? You were our friend, Ivan was our friend. We decided to help you. And it was the worst mistake we've ever made."_

They had been strong. And all it took was one simple decision to bring everything crashing down.

"No," Isaac said.

"What?" Kraden asked, looking startled.

"No." Isaac shook his head. "I can't believe you. I can't go along with you."

"Why not?" Jenna said, incredulous. "Isaac, didn't you hear what we said? Weyard will die if we don't light the beacons! And your father... How can you not believe us?"

"Because I've seen what will happen if I do." He said. Jenna stared at him. "Perhaps if you had told me this a few months ago, I would have gone along. But not now. Not after everything that's happened."

"Isaac, what are you talking about?" Kraden asked. 

"I'll tell you." And he did. He began with the unfortunate branch incident, continued through the invasion of the castle, the deportal to Altin, the foiled execution, and finally the escape to Lalivero. When he concluded his tale, the occupants of the room looked stunned. 

"Isaac..." Jenna said finally, staring at him wide eyed. "That's..."

"You and Ivan really went to another world?" Sheba asked. "Where Felix and I were...married?" She turned beet red and quickly looked away from the dark-haired Venus Adept. 

Isaac nodded. 

"And you were the evil tyrant overlord?" asked Felix.

He nodded again.

"Isaac, are you certain that near-death encounter on the lighthouse didn't knock something loose up there?" Jenna asked, looking at him sideways. 

"I'd never lie to you, Jenna." Isaac said flatly.

"And what he's told us actually makes a lot of sense," said a voice from the corner.

The Adepts all turned, startled, to see a woman materialize from the shadows of the room.

"Hama!" said Mia, blinking.

"Hello, again," the violet-haired Jupiter Adept said, smiling. Isaac felt a twinge of emotion, remembered the last time they had encountered each other.

"When did you get here?" asked Jenna. "I didn't hear the door open."

She smiled again. "I can be silent when I want to. I am a descendant of the Anemos, after all."

"Really?" said Kraden, looking excited. "I've been hearing so much about them recently... Do you think you could tell me--"

"Kraden," said Picard softly. "Not now. 

"Oh." Kraden looked sheepish. "Yes. Yes, you're right."

"You will have plenty of time for studying the powers of the Anemos, Kraden," Hama said. "It's a long sail to Mars Lighthouse, and one of us will be with you on the journey."

"What?" asked Sheba, looking startled.

Hama nodded towards Ivan. "Ivan. My brother."

"Ivan's your brother?" Asked Felix.

"Yes... but now is not the time to be discussing that. What is important is that you head for Mars Lighthouse as soon as possible."

"I told you," Isaac said, beginning to grow angry, "We're not helping you light the lighthouses!"

"Because you have seen what it could be like if they are..." Hama said softly. "Not all visions of the future come true, Isaac."

"It's not a vision!" Isaac said. "I'm telling you, that world is just as real as ours..."

"But is it really?" Hama asked. "Or is it just making you believe that?"

"Sister, I know what's a vision and what isn't," said Ivan, who was also becoming annoyed. "This _isn't._"

"Ivan," said Hama, patiently. "You are a part of this, so it is not surprising you do not sense it. But there is an explanation for all of this. From the moment I stepped in the door, I knew something was wrong." She turned around and walked a few paces backwards, then faced the group again. "The normal human mind only uses a small fraction of its capacity to process information. An Adept uses more, but it is still utilizing far less than its potential. There are several proposed reasons for this. The first, obviously, is that humans are still as yet too primitive to be able to use their entire brainpower. Perhaps over the years we will evolve to use more of it. This theory may be proved by the existence of Adepts. However." She paused. "One of the other theories about the brain is that the reason we do not use more of it is because all of that excess information would make us go insane. Isaac- you and Ivan have one thing that sets you apart from the others in this room. While their brains are at normal Adept capacity- yours are working at almost one hundred percent."

The Adepts looked at each other. "Are you sure, Hama?" Felix asked, tentatively.

She nodded. "I can sense it... Sheba, you can as well, can you not?"

Sheba nodded slowly. "I thought there was something odd... I didn't pay attention to it, though. I thought I just wasn't used to their mind's signature yet."

"So what does this mean?" Ivan demanded.

"It means, Ivan, that this world of yours doesn't exist. It was created in Isaac's mind by something. I have no idea what- I have never heard of a case like this before. Your mind reading drew you into it as well, and it spread, like a parasitic disease. This probably also explains why your Djinn cannot be awoken anymore- the disease overloaded their minds and used them to spread further. This is why you only go there when you sleep, and why time between the universes is so different. It molds itself to fit your needs."

"If it's not real, then how do we break out of it?" Isaac asked skeptically.

Hama shook her head. "I don't know. But what I do know..." She placed her hand on Ivan's shoulder and closed her eyes. "The disease is spreading rapidly inside your minds. The human brain can only take so much, Isaac.... If a cure is not found soon, it will give out. And then..." her voice trailed off.

"And then... we'll die," Ivan finished hollowly.

"Sounds awfully familiar," Isaac agreed.

-------------------------------

  



	18. With the Eyes of a Child

Well, hello again. It's been a while, hasn't it? Three months, at least. Once again, I apologize for the delay, and will try to get chapters out faster in the future. (Yes, I know, I say that every time, and it never happens...)

I was amazed at the reaction to the last chapter. I thought it would bore you out of your minds... But I'm glad to see it didn't. I'd also like to remind you that now the story is heading towards the climax, and some things will be revealed that may not yet make sense. For those of you who have noticed discrepancies between the storyline and what Hama explained last chapter, that's good! It means you're paying attention. Just remember, simply because a character says something doesn't mean it's the whole truth- or even true at all. They are as much in the dark about what's going on as you are. And I intend to keep it that way... :) Just kidding! Don't worry, everything will come together in the end.   
  
With that out of the way, let's continue!

CHAPTER 18  
  
_With the Eyes of a Child  
  
_--------------------  
.  
.  
.  
.

Isaac leaned back against the wall of the Inn, wondering if it was really a good idea to fall asleep. He was dead tired after the various emotional and physical battles of the day. However, he had no desire to return to the other world and face Felix's enthusiastic war preparation. The older Venus Adept seemed to take Isaac's appearance as an omen that revolution was nigh, and kept dragging him off to review troops or look at multicolored scribbles on maps.   
  
Last night, Felix had taken him to the docks. Isaac thought back on the incident and smiled, remembering how the raven-haired Adept had swept his arm out grandly while showing him the 'armada'.   
  
"Look at it," he had said, gazing proudly at the array of ships crowding the tiny Laliveran docks. "Isn't it magnificent?"  
  
Isaac agreed that there were certainly a lot of boats packed into a small area, but he wouldn't call the sight 'magnificent.' Besides the trio of winged Lemurian ships, the only other seaworthy vessel was a chunky wooden behemoth powered by a square white sail. The remaining craft in the harbor were small fishing skiffs and barges.   
  
"Yes, it's impressive," Felix continued, not bothering to look for Isaac's reaction. "But it's not large enough, I'm afraid. The Imperial Navy has at least twice as many ships as we do. They're based out of Champa," he added. "Isaac took over after driving away most of the villagers. The survivors came here." He pointed to the large sailing ship.  
  
Felix continued walking, dragging Isaac along behind him. They passed the first Lemurian ship, which was being loaded with crates from the back of an oxcart. Isaac noticed Picard among the workers, his blue hair unmistakable beneath the scorching Laliveran sun.   
  
"As you can see, we have three Lemurian vessels," Felix said, nodding towards the workers. "The one on the far end belongs to Picard, while the center one was Babi's and the closest one to us was one that escaped the destruction of its homeland." The Venus Adept's eyes darkened. "And it with only a handful of refugees, all of whom later perished from battle or the separation from their healing springs." His tone darkened. "Three Lemurian ships, and only one Lemurian left to guide them…" His eyes focused on Picard for a moment, then flickered back to Isaac.  
  
"All three were outfitted with wings by the Contigans," he continued briskly, his voice bright once more. "We were able to get Sunshine, the blacksmith in Yallam, to divide the Hover Jade into three portions without losing its power." Seeing Isaac's blank look, he added, "That's the stone that gives the ship its ability to fly."  
  
He led Isaac up the gangplank of the nearest ship. "We embedded a chip of the Jade into each steering wheel," he said, pointing to the small disc of bright green stone poking out of the wood. "Now any Adept can provide power by channeling their Psynergy into it. We remove the stones between journeys, of course, to prevent thieves from running off with the ships. There are far too many rogue Adepts these days."   
  
"Why is that, anyway?" Isaac asked. "There were never this many before... And yet most of the soldiers we've met have Psynergetic powers."  
  
"It's Alchemy," Felix replied. "It awakened the latent powers in many people- not all of them law-abiding. It's also partially _his_ doing." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of Angara. "He's been taking fledgling Adepts and exposing them to Psynergy stones, then training them for his army."  
  
"So are all his soldiers Adepts, then?"  
  
"A good number. Some of the castle guards aren't, because the aura there tends to drive most mages insane."  
  
"That could explain a lot of things..." Isaac mused.  
  
"Probably," Felix sighed. "Alchemy has certainly brought a lot of evil into the world." But he hesitated. "And yet..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing..." Felix shook his head. "It's just... sometimes, I wonder... If the lighthouses aren't supposed to be lit, why are they here at all?"  
  
Isaac hadn't had an answer to that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, and Ivan slipping into the room. The boy was almost in tears.  
  
"Ivan?" Isaac said, immediately sitting up and swinging his legs off the edge of the bed. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. Nothing. Everything's fine," Ivan replied shortly. His body was rigid, as though poised to run away.  
  
"You sure? You don't look so good..."  
  
Ivan shook his head, then nodded, then shook his head again. "Yes. No. I don't know..." He sat down on the bed beside Isaac. "It's just-she... she..."  
  
"Who?" Isaac asked, as the Jupiter Adept's voice trailed off.   
  
"My sis- Hama." He stopped talking for a moment. His eyes looked like two flooded saucers about to overflow. "She said... and I know I'm overreacting, but it's just that... after everything, I thought... I hoped..."  
  
"What did she say?" Isaac asked gently.  
  
"She... she said that I was... overly sentimental. And that if she had told me about us being family at Lama Temple, I would have abandoned my quest to be with her. And she said that I shouldn't think of her as a sister until the quest was over, and that we should hurry on to Mars Lighthouse as quickly as possible." He looked down. "And she's right, I guess... I oughtn't let this distract me, but..." He trailed off again.  
  
"...But?" Isaac prompted.  
  
Ivan's eyes suddenly narrowed. "But in the other world, she seemed _happy_ to see me!" he said, with an anger that startled Isaac. "She didn't act like I was some sort of tool to be used in her plans! I'll bet she wouldn't even care if I end up dying as long as I light her precious lighthouse..."  
  
"Now you know _that_'s not true," Isaac said. "You saw how distraught she was in Altin."  
  
"Yeah?" Ivan laughed bitterly. "So what? She said herself that's not real."

Isaac paused. "...Well..." he said slowly. "Maybe not. But still... Ivan, she does care about you. Maybe she hasn't shown it yet, but you must remember, this is not exactly the best time for reunions..."

"I know, but..." Ivan looked away.

"Ivan," Isaac said gently. "...I'm not exactly an expert on siblings, but... I've seen people who have them, and there's one thing I know for certain-- no matter how much they fight and bicker, they still love each other. I'm sure Master Hama is the same way. Just give her a chance..."

Ivan didn't answer, merely looking at the bedspread.

"What you need now is sleep," Isaac decided, seeing how tired and confused the Jupiter mage looked. "I know it won't make that much difference, but... At least you'll feel better in the morning."

Ivan sighed, and stood up. "...All right. G'night, Isaac..." He headed for the door. Stopping with his hand on the knob, he glanced behind him. "And... thank you."

"No problem," Isaac replied, smiling. Ivan gave him a tired nod and slipped through the door.

Isaac leaned back on the bed, staring at a stain on the ceiling. He let out a low sigh. He probably should take his own advice... Closing his eyes, he tried to relax. It would be hard going back there again.

_It isn't real_, he told himself. But he couldn't make himself believe....

------

Outside the gates of Lalivero, a man in a brown cloak stood beside the large drawbridge leading into the city. He glanced up at the sun, already scorching though it was only about seven in the morning. The man cursed inwardly; he had hoped to reach the city much earlier, when it was still dark. There was nothing for it but to enter, and lie low until the sun went down again. He eyed the retractable bridge spanning the river. The distance was too great... He would have to get inside the city the ordinary way.

He stepped onto the drawbridge, stepping briskly across the sun-bleached planks. Each footstep made the wooden structure creak in protest.

"Halt," the gate guard said, half-heartedly. The soldier was obviously boiling in his armor, and ran a finger under the sweat-drenched headband he wore beneath a shiny iron helm. "What business do you have in Lalivero?"

"I am a traveler from Suhalla," the stranger replied smoothly. "I'm here to visit some old friends." It was not entirely a lie.

The guard glared at him suspiciously, but he was much too hot to inquire further. "Go ahead in," he muttered, shifting his grip on his spear.

The traveler nodded politely and complied, passing through the thick archway into the city streets.

"So what're we doing today?" Isaac asked, as he, Ivan, and the group of alternate-Adepts stood in the main plaza. Random citizens bustled around them, going about their daily business.

"Well," replied Felix, holding up a tightly wound scroll of paper, "I was going to show you the blueprints of the castle Garet's drawn up for me so we can plan our attack, but it's much too hot indoors." He glared accusingly up at the sun. "So as soon as Picard manages to get his lazy self _over_ here, we're going to find some shade where we can work."

"Sounds good to me," Ivan said, shading his eyes and peering out across the plaza, looking for the distinctive hair of the Lemurian. The only people in sight, however, were ordinary citizens and a group of children, which included Dylan and Gregory, playing stickball in a corner. Mia and Sheba sat watching them, Sheba with her new baby on her lap. Beside them, Rose and Sheba's daughter Tierra were playing quietly with dolls. Well, Rose was playing quietly- Tierra was babbling away nonstop in the way only toddlers can.

"Ah, there he is, finally," Felix said, as the Lemurian came into view from a side street. Ivan waved at him, standing on tiptoe so he would be more visible above the milling people. Picard noticed him and waved back, lengthening his already long stride. He reached the group a moment later and nodded to Felix.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said. "There was a bit of a commotion at the docks. Someone thought they saw somebody sneaking around the ships, but it turned out to be a false alarm."

"That's good," Felix said. "We can't afford to lose anymore vessels, not after the incident with the _Interceptor_..."

"What're you talking about?" Isaac asked curiously, as he saw Picard's eyes darken.

"We originally had four Lemurian ships..." The mariner replied, his gold eyes not meeting Isaac's blue ones. "Four years ago... after the destruction of Lemuria, the survivors fled in two ships to Lalivero. We, of course, welcomed them with open arms... Most of those who had survived didn't last long. Some, like King Hydros, were already old, and died because of the lack of the healing springs to sustain their life... but most did not. My uncle commanded the Lemurian vessel, the _Interceptor_. His crew consisted of all the Lemurian men and women who were willing to fight. Even those were not many, and he had to take on others to fill out his crew... They won many battles against Isaac, and some called them invincible. Until one day...

Two years ago, Isaac's fleet launched an attack against the small fishing village in the straights around Indra. Of course, my uncle set out at once to rescue it. When they got there.... They found the village razed to the ground, and that they had sailed right into a trap. Isaac's navy surrounded the ship, their numbers bolstered by support from Alhalfra. My uncle didn't stand a chance. The _Interceptor_ was destroyed, but not after taking several of their ships with them. But they had the resources to rebuild them... we do not. We are still suffering from the loss of our ship.

Picard sighed, and concluded his tale. "The few Lemurians who were not aboard the _Interceptor_ died off later, from various causes. It seems only by sheer luck that I have managed to survive. Maybe it is because I have lived so long among those of the outside world... it allows me to better understand the dangers we face here, dangers the other Lemurians were not prepared for... But whatever the reason, I am now the only Lemurian left. After I die, my people will be lost forever."

"Hey, you don't know that," Felix said, trying to cheer up his friend. "You can still have children, right? There'll still be Lemurians left in the world."

Picard looked at him sideways. "I doubt that I will ever marry, Felix."

"I used to think that too, and now I've got two kids. Don't worry, Picard. The right woman will come along before you know it."

"It's the 'not knowing' part that's the problem," Picard said dryly.

"That's not what I meant..." Felix continued his debate, but Isaac's attention was wandering. His eyes swept over the stones of the courtyard, taking in every sunny sandstone building and shadowed alley. It just didn't make sense, he thought. If this place wasn't real, then how did it know about Picard before Isaac had even met him in his own world? If this was only imagination, then why did he feel real pain from injuries sustained here? How could a dream ever be so detailed as to conjure _this_?

There was a small commotion nearby. A pedestrian walked in the way of an oxcart driving past the central fountain, a few yards from where Isaac stood. The driver of the cart swerved sideways to avoid a collision, overbalancing his vehicle. A torrent of fresh fruit spilled from the upturned cart, rolling over the cobblestones. The playing children immediately ran to snatch it up, while being pursued by their mothers.

The driver pulled himself from the wreck and stormed angrily towards the pedestrian, who was trying to sneak away into the crowd. The person was wearing a long, light brown cloak that obscured his face and blocked the Laliveran sun. He almost slipped away but the man grabbed him by the arm, shouting incomprehensible words in a booming voice. But Isaac didn't even try to pay attention to him. He was riveted by the man, for when the driver had grabbed him, it had shaken loose his hood, and revealed the long, blue hair underneath.

"That's _Alex_!" Felix gasped, breaking off his conversation with Picard. He looked shocked. "I thought he was dead long ago!"

Alex struggled in the grip of the driver, then turned and saw the group of Adepts staring at him. Even from this distance, Isaac could see the cold, calculated sneer appear on his face. The next moment, there was a blinding blast of Psynergy and the oxcart driver lay several feet away on the cobblestones, unmoving. There were screams in the crowd and panicked pounding of feet as everyone tried to get out of the line of fire.

Alex floated into the air, surrounded by rings of bright blue Psynergy. Isaac thought back to that day in Sol Sanctum, when he had first met the man, floating above the platforms in the inner chamber.

"Well, that didn't go quite as planned, but no matter," Alex said, in an almost cheerful manner. "I don't need to sneak around, anyway. I can finish this here and now." As if to prove a point, he pointed a hand at the oxcart driver, who was rising to his feet, moaning, and sent a blast of Psynergy that sent him headfirst into the remains of his vehicle. Isaac stared, appalled at the display of violence.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, desperately wishing for his sword.

"Well... actually, I was sent to kill you..." he smirked.

Then there was a flash of light, and suddenly Alex was behind him. The Venus Adept had only time to register the fading glow of Teleport before he heard the soft whistling of the katana behind his ear. Throwing himself to the ground, the blade whisked past where his neck had been moments before. Isaac rolled over and kicked out at his opponent, but the man had vanished again. He quickly stood up, spotting Alex standing a few feet away, his calm demeanor slightly disrupted.

"You're quicker than I expected," the water mage admitted, his eyebrows furrowed. "But no matter..."

He teleported again, and Isaac tensed, ready to dodge a second time. But Alex was nowhere near him. In fact, he was on the opposite end of the courtyard.

"If I cannot take your life, then I shall have to take the next best thing," Alex said evenly, while holding his katana to Dylan's throat.

Isaac froze. Garet, standing a few feet away, let out a strangled cry and stepped forward.

"Take another step and he dies," Alex declared. Garet stopped, his entire body taut with rage.

"Why, Alex?" Isaac demanded, his fists clenched. "He's innocent. I thought even you weren't low enough to stoop to using hostages."

"Why? There are several reasons, my dear boy." Alex laughed, fueling Isaac's anger. "While my power is far superior to yours, you have demonstrated a certain skill of your own. I certainly would be able to kill you, eventually, but the strength of numbers is in your favor. The likely outcome would be us _both_ dying, and I'm not too keen on that." He smirked. "On the other hand, my master will not be pleased with me returning empty handed. So, I shall bring back a present to keep him pacified."

He took a step backwards, dragging Dylan with him. The boy looked petrified, staring wide-eyed at his parents across the cobblestones.

"And now, I bid you farewell. Till we meet again, Isaac, if that is truly your name... You shan't be so lucky next time."

He gave a left handed salute, grasped Dylan firmly by the arm, and with weapon still to the boy's throat, disappeared.

--------------------

We're nearing the end. If fate is kind, there should be two more chapters and an epilogue. If fate is not kind, there will be twenty more chapters and an epilogue. This story is taking on a life of its own... 

And on another side note, I'm very angry at FF.N for taking away my ability to use happy-face emoticons... T.T   
Well, at least I still have the sad face to express my disappointment...


End file.
